A Sydney father has won a medical negligence case against a doctor who misdiagnosed his bowel cancer as hemorrhoids, a delay the court found reduced his life expectancy by approximately 4.75 years.
Justice Gregory Sirtes ruled that Dr. Abram Tadros failed to adequately treat Ross Peterkin, a personal trainer and father of one. Peterkin alleges that the misdiagnosis allowed his cancer to progress, significantly impacting his prognosis. The court's decision highlighted the critical role of early and accurate diagnosis in cancer treatment.
Peterkin was first diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in May 2024. Subsequent medical evaluations revealed the disease had spread. Expert radiation oncologist Susan Pendlebury stated that while the cancer was present during an August 2022 consultation, it was not yet locally advanced at that time. The delay in proper diagnosis and treatment is central to the negligence claim.
Lawyer Fadi Chahine commented on the difficulty of winning medical negligence cases, suggesting the successful outcome for Peterkin underscores the strength of his claim. Peterkin's wife, Kristy-Lee, expressed gratitude to the surgeons at RPA who performed a "miracle procedure."
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