Twenty women had unnecessary mastectomies, County Durham NHS trust admits

The review into the mastectomies is likely to widen

The trust told the BBC that 20 women had unnecessary mastectomies at its breast unit.

Of 514 cases reviewed so far, 315 patients have been found to have suffered harm, including 77 who were significantly harmed, and one patient that is known to have died following treatment.

The admission comes after the BBC reported serious failures in the unit last year.

Dozens of women shared the psychological and physical pain many still live with.

The cancer patients and their families got in touch following that reporting, describing the shock of being told a mastectomy, the removal of all or part of a breast, could have been avoided altogether.

The trust is reviewing breast cancer cases between January 2023 and February 2025, including 640 cases from former patients who contacted a dedicated helpline.

Cases have also been identified where cancer diagnoses were missed or delayed, and some of those patients subsequently saw their cancer spread, according to chief executive Steve Russell.

Russell, who recently took over as chief executive, says he apologises "unreservedly" for the harm the trust caused.

"There are no words I could use to convey how personally distressed I am," he says.

"What happened was utterly unacceptable."

The National Crime Agency says it is now working with Durham Police to investigate allegations.

Former patients have come together to support each other and are calling for a public inquiry.

Diagnosis has been under scrutiny elsewhere in cancer care too as Jeremy Clarkson joins a campaign to overhaul prostate cancer screening in the UK.