Woman Gets Breast Cancer After Doctor Cancels Mammo, She Says
6-6-2016 22:30:00


     PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) – A woman developed stage IV breast cancer because a Kaiser doctor cancelled her mammogram after she reported a lump in her breast, the woman claims in an $11 million medical malpractice complaint in Multnomah County Circuit  Court.

            Brandy L. Jones sued Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Northwest Permanente PC, and Drs. Steven Levine and David Lee Moiel.
            Jones says she fist reported a lump on her left breast to Levine in April 2011, who ordered and then cancelled a mammogram and referred her to general surgery instead.
            A few weeks later, Moiel, her surgeon, diagnosed her with a fibrocystic change, a condition where benign lumps form in the breast, and told her to come back in three months despite knowing her family history of breast cancer, according to the complaint. 
            At her follow up appointment Moiel told her there was no change in the lumps and cancelled diagnostic imaging tests he had ordered, the complaint states.
            Four years later, Jones says, she went back to Kaiser after noticing a painful bump in her left underarm and was ultimately diagnosed with metastatic invasive ductal carcinoma, commonly known as stage IV breast cancer. 
            Thanks to Kaiser, Jones says, she has to endure several harsh treatments for her cancer, including chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, and her lifespan has been considerably shortened.
            She seeks non-economic damages of $6 million, $1 million for medical bills, $1 million for loss of household services, and $3 million for future lost income and earnings.
            She is represented by Jane Paulson with Paulson Coletti. 
16CV13900