Misdiagnosis led to unnecessary surgery and major verdict against Penn Medicine.
A recent jury decision in Philadelphia brought national attention to a case involving a cancer misdiagnosis that led to a major surgery that was never needed. The verdict held Penn Medicine responsible for a portion of a $35 million award after a woman underwent a full hysterectomy based on test results that turned out to be wrong. The plaintiff, Isis Spencer, claimed that a chain of avoidable mistakes and poor judgment caused her to lose the chance to make informed decisions about her health. The ruling assigned Penn Medicine and one of its physicians responsibility for $12.25 million of the total amount, while Main Line Health had already settled its part of the case earlier.
According to the suit, the original error happened when biopsy slides at Main Line Health were contaminated with another person’s DNA. That mix-up led to a report showing advanced endometrial cancer when Spencer did not have any cancer at all. After receiving the alarming results, Spencer sought an additional opinion at Penn Medicine, where a second biopsy came back negative. Even with two conflicting results, she was still encouraged to proceed with major surgery. The complaint stated that tests done at Penn showed no signs of cancer and were described as “within normal limits,” yet the physician still moved forward with the diagnosis that aligned with the mistaken slides from Main Line Health.
Court filings described how Spencer was told that immediate surgery was her only real choice. The complaint said the physician declined to run further tests that could have explained the inconsistent findings. Spencer first met with the physician in early 2021, and by the following month she had undergone a full hysterectomy at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Only after the operation did the medical team discover that her removed tissue showed no signs of cancer. A nurse was asked to deliver the news that she had never had cancer and that the surgery had not been necessary.
The aftermath, according to the suit, brought significant physical and emotional distress. Spencer, who was 45 at the time, experienced sudden early menopause brought on by the surgery. Symptoms included dizziness, nausea and severe headaches. The suit described the ordeal as both frightening and devastating, noting that the emotional impact of thinking she had cancer and then learning the truth after the surgery left lasting harm. Her attorney said in a statement that the verdict reinforces the importance of giving patients accurate information and clear choices.
Penn Medicine responded by saying it plans to appeal the verdict. A spokesperson stated that the decision did not match the evidence provided during the trial. The statement explained that the physician had based his decisions on pathology results that came from outside the Penn system and that he did not know the slides were contaminated. Still, the jury concluded that the actions taken at Penn played a direct role in the outcome.
This case follows other major malpractice verdicts involving Penn Medicine in recent years. Earlier record-setting awards in the state have placed ongoing attention on patient care systems, communication between medical facilities and how conflicting test results are handled. The size of this latest verdict places it among the highest in Philadelphia this year. The situation has also fueled broader conversations about how hospitals confirm results before moving forward with life-changing treatment decisions.
Sources:
Penn Medicine liable for $12.25 million in cancer misdiagnosis suit, Philadelphia jury says
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