Women Speak of Trauma After Unnecessary Mastectomies at UK Hospital Trust

Twenty women underwent mastectomies that could have been avoided while receiving cancer treatment at a National Health Service trust in northeast England, the BBC has reported. These procedures are among the hundreds of patients who experienced harm during treatment at the breast unit of the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT).

Steve Russell, the trust's recently appointed chief executive, issued an "unreserved" apology for the harm caused by the trust. The admissions follow revelations of serious failures within the unit, which were first reported by the BBC last year. Women who have undergone these unnecessary surgeries have shared their experiences with the BBC, describing the trauma they have endured. One woman stated, "I've been butchered."