NHS: 20 women had unnecessary mastectomies, while others suffered harm

A review of breast-unit cases at the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT) found hundreds of patients were harmed during treatment, and identified avoidable outcomes including missed or delayed cancer diagnoses, according to the trust. The organization, which has been the subject of a BBC investigation, is reviewing breast cancer cases from January 2023 to February 2025, alongside 640 former patients who contacted a dedicated helpline. Of 514 cases examined so far, 315 patients suffered harm, including 77 “significant” harms, and one patient is known to have died. A board meeting next week will decide whether to extend the review to thousands more cases dating back to 2015. The BBC-linked case includes Denise Howarth, 51, later told her mastectomy was not needed after it had been performed.