Woman (28) with stage 4 cancer awarded large sum after radiologist misread scan

A 28-year-old woman with stage 4 cancer has received a significant monetary settlement from the HSE after a scan was misread by a radiologist at University Hospital Galway (UHG) in 2023, delaying her diagnosis.

The HSE and UHG have apologised “unreservedly” to Michelle Craughwell “for the deficiencies in radiology care” that led to a delay in diagnosing her with adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.

The case was mediated last week. The compensation covers medical fees, counselling and loss of earnings.

Jonathan Kilfeather, instructed by Damien Tansey Solicitors, told the High Court on Wednesday that if the scan had been “read correctly” in 2023, Craughwell would have “a significantly longer life expectancy”.

“Unfortunately the tumour wasn’t spotted until two years later, at which stage it had become stage 4.”

Kilfeather told the court Craughwell’s prognosis is “bleak”.

Oonah McCrann, representing the HSE, read out an apology on behalf of Chris Kane, general manager of Galway University Hospitals.

“We would like to sincerely and unreservedly apologise for the deficiencies in radiology care in 2023 which led to the delay in diagnosis of your adrenal cortical carcinoma.

“We wish to acknowledge the upset and distress that this has caused you, and we do not underestimate the challenges that you are facing. We deeply regret this and offer you our sincere apologies.”

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Judge Paul Coffey sympathised with Craughwell and her parents, Fiona O’Toole and Cyril Craughwell, who were present in court.

Speaking after the hearing, Michelle Craughwell said she was “really grateful” for the apology but disappointed at how her case had been handled.

“I’m just really disappointed that it wasn’t picked up in 2023.”

She said she and her family “had to go through all this turmoil for something that could have been an easy fix at the very beginning”.

Solicitor Damien Tansey said that if the tumour had been detected three years ago, “the outcome would have been totally different”.

He said UHG is a centre of excellence, and Craughwell should have received a higher standard of care.

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Craughwell, who lives in Tuam, Co Galway, had a history of persistent kidney infections with two prior hospitalisations at UHG in 2019 and 2022, according to documents filed in the case.

On July 16th, 2023, Craughwell presented to the emergency department (ED) at UHG with urinary problems and pain. She had a computed tomography (CT) scan of her abdomen and pelvis. An adrenal mass measuring approximately 2.3cm was missed on the scan, according to the statement of claim.

At this time, Craughwell had stage 1 cancer and the mass was confined to her right-side adrenal gland. As the mass was missed on the scan, no treatment plan was devised for Craughwell.

On June 17th, 2025, she attended her GP with symptoms of a fever and an upper respiratory tract infection. Her GP referred her to the ED, believing she may have had sepsis.

A CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis was carried out on June 19th, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan occurred the next day, confirming the presence of the adrenal mass.

In July 2023, the tumour measured about 2.5cm in diameter, court documents noted. By June 2025, the tumour measured about 10cm in diameter and the cancer had progressed to stage 4.

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In August 2025, she underwent surgery at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin and last year required significantly more surgery than she would have needed in 2023. She also required chemotherapy.

Treatment of her condition is “ongoing”, according to court documents.