US woman loses uterus after alleged cancer misdiagnosis
Cassandra Barksdale, 43, is suing Kaiser Permanente after post-surgery tests found no sign of cancer in her tissue.
GEORGIA – A woman from the Atlanta area claims that negligence in the handling of a tissue sample led to her being wrongly diagnosed with aggressive uterine cancer, resulting in surgery to remove her entire uterus at the age of 43.
According to a lawsuit filed in Clayton County, Georgia, Cassandra Barksdale went into premature menopause after doctors removed her cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and both ovaries last year.
The suit names Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Permanente Insurance Co. and the laboratory technician believed to have handled Barksdale's sample as defendants.
How events unfolded
The lawsuit states that Barksdale saw a doctor at a Kaiser Permanente medical centre in January 2025 after experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding and fibroid growths.
She was then referred for a consultation and underwent an endometrial tissue biopsy in March 2025. The tissue was sent to an outside laboratory, Quest Diagnostics, for pathology analysis.
On 17 March 2025, Barksdale was told she had aggressive uterine cancer. She subsequently underwent a CT scan which, according to the lawsuit, showed no signs of cancer, before being referred to a doctor at Northside Atlanta Hospital.
Based on the scan records and the earlier pathology report, her new doctor recommended a full hysterectomy, removal of the ovaries and a lymph node biopsy.
However, follow-up testing of Barksdale's tissue after the surgery confirmed there were no signs of cancer or malignant growth anywhere in her endometrial cavity.
Kaiser Permanente responds
In a statement on Tuesday, Kaiser Permanente affirmed its commitment to working with Barksdale to resolve the matter in the fairest and most responsible manner.
"Barksdale should not have gone through this. We have trained staff and rigorous work processes to prevent such errors from happening. After this incident occurred last year, we took immediate steps to ensure it does not happen again," the company said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Barksdale said the ordeal had deeply affected her family, who had earlier believed she had only up to five years to live. The error also left her children with prolonged depression.
The lawsuit alleges that Kaiser Permanente staff mishandled Barksdale's tissue sample in March 2025 before it was sent to Quest Diagnostics. Quest, however, has not been sued or accused of any error in the diagnosis. – AGENCIES
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