The legal battle centers on allegations that Dr. Annie Kannarkatt and Cancer Care Associates ignored imaging results that failed to locate a primary breast tumor and suggested lymphoma instead. A re-examination of 2017 tissue later confirmed Tanya Smith suffered from ALK-positive large B-cell lymphoma from the outset rather than breast cancer. Although she eventually underwent targeted therapies and a stem cell transplant at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, the cancer returned and claimed her life in January 2019. The latest ruling removes prior judicial dismissals, ensuring the negligence allegations will finally face a jury determination.
Key points
Medical experts testified that the 13-month delay allowed the lymphoma to spread and buil…: Medical experts testified that the 13-month delay allowed the lymphoma to spread and build resistance to chemotherapy treatments.
A 2021 trial resulted in a hung jury, and a subsequent 2022 retrial was dismissed before…: A 2021 trial resulted in a hung jury, and a subsequent 2022 retrial was dismissed before the high court intervened.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling formally sends the medical malpractice claims back…: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling formally sends the medical malpractice claims back to be decided by a jury.
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A Pennsylvania woman who underwent treatment for breast cancer for more than a year was later found to have a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. Tanya Smith died in January 2019, and her family pursued a medical malpractice lawsuit, alleging that doctors had failed to investigate conflicting test results and delayed her correct treatment. The case was dismissed during a jury trial, but on October 29, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a ruling allowing the family's claims to be heard by a jury.
The dispute began in March 2017, when Smith visited an oncological surgeon at WellSpan York Hospital after an enlarged lymph node was discovered in her armpit during treatment for shoulder pain, as per the case details on
Justia. A biopsy was performed, and pathologist Dr John Wright reported findings compatible with metastatic breast cancer, suggesting that cancer originating in the breast had spread to the lymph node.
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However, further examinations raised questions about that diagnosis. A CT scan, PET scan, mammogram and ultrasound failed to identify a primary tumour or show…
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