We are assume our individual test results are accurate....look here

[Cathya]

In Canada grave errors were made in a provincial lab (Newfoundland) leading to erroneous results and many deaths.....perhaps it would be worth while to repeat some basic tests from time to time?

Dead breast cancer patient missed chance at treatment, sister says

10 hours ago
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Gripped by a family history of breast cancer, Geraldine Avery saw first-hand the threat it posed when she was diagnosed with the disease nine years ago.
At 46, her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two of her younger sisters developed it when they were 48 years old, as did Avery.
But in the years she battled through it, the Adeytown, N.L., woman was largely unaware that the test doctors used to decide on treatment was misread, and therefore missed out on therapy that may have prolonged her life, her younger sister said Thursday.
"If she went on Tamoxifen back in 1999, when she was first diagnosed, she may be alive today," Patricia Goobie told a public inquiry into Newfoundland's botched breast cancer tests.
"I can't say if cancer would've killed her or not. I don't know that. But at least she would've been given the chance."
Goobie said she encouraged her sister to phone the Eastern Health authority to inquire about the status of her breast cancer test result after hearing a report on the radio in 2005 that the tests were being reviewed at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital.
But only after Avery made repeated calls to Eastern Health did she discover that her test was inaccurate, said Goobie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001.
"She phoned me and said, 'I think I'm getting the runaround,"' said Goobie, whose own breast cancer test was accurate.
"To me, it's like a coverup and that's what she felt."
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, Avery was declared ineligible for hormone therapy such as Tamoxifen.
In the years that followed, the disease gradually advanced, spreading throughout her chest. But Avery exhibited an indomitable spirit throughout, Goobie said.
"She just wouldn't give up," she said, with a portrait of Avery beside her.
In April 2005, after her oncologists discovered that her test result was flawed, Avery was given Tamoxifen. Seven months later her cancer developed to the point where it was incurable.
She died in August the next year.
The inquiry is focusing on Eastern Health's handling of hormone receptor tests, which are a valuable tool that doctors use in determining the course of treatment for breast cancer patients.
If patients are found to be estrogen-and/or progesterone-positive, they may respond to hormone therapy such as Tamoxifen.
If not, they may be given other treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation.
Avery's tragic story was followed by testimony from Daphne Coffin, whose 2001 breast cancer test was also inaccurate.
Based on the initial results of the test, doctors concluded that Coffin was a "weak" candidate for Tamoxifen. After reviewing the drug's side-effects, Coffin chose not to take the drug.
In March 2006, that test was found to have been misread, and that she was a much stronger candidate for the drug than previously thought.
But she wasn't told of that until six months later during an appointment with her doctor, Coffin testified.
"When the report came back from Mount Sinai in March, I don't think it would've been too much to expect them to maybe drop it in an envelope and send it to you in the mail," Coffin said.
All five witnesses who have testified at the inquiry so far said Eastern Health has never expressed regret nor apologized for the botched tests.
Louise Jones, interim CEO for Eastern Health, said Thursday it was premature to be issuing apologies and that now is the time to let patients vent their frustrations.
"Sorry? What would it mean if we don't hear their stories?" Jones said.
"Absolutely, we're not perfect and there's lots of learnings to be made from this, and I really would ask the public to listen to all those stories as we go through."
Jones took over for George Tilley, who was Eastern Health's CEO until he resigned last summer, two months after he apologized for the "confusion" that arose when the board failed to fully disclose results of a review into the flawed tests.
The inquiry, launched last year, is examining how 383 patients were given erroneous results on their breast cancer tests, and whether Eastern Health responded to them and the public in an appropriate and timely manner.
Provincial Supreme Court Justice Margaret Cameron won't make any conclusions about civil or criminal responsibility.
The province has requested the inquiry deliver a final report by July 30.