A B.C. man whose fractured spine was misdiagnosed as cancer is suing the doctor and radiation therapists who treated him.
In a suit filed at B.C. Supreme Court last week, David Meisner claims that he received radiation treatment for a tumour that wasn't there, while his fractured spine went undiagnosed for 10 months.
According to the suit, Meisner visited Surrey Memorial Hospital in June 2008, complaining that he'd had lower back pain for three weeks.
At the time, Meisner was already being treated for prostate cancer.
An oncologist with the BC Cancer Agency reviewed the results of a bone scan and became convinced that Meisner's back pain was caused by the cancer spreading to his spine.
He prescribed a three-day course of radiation therapy.
Six months later, Meisner learned that he did not have cancer on his spine, and it wasn't until March 2009 that he finally discovered he was actually suffering from a fractured spine.
That fracture required surgery, and Meisner claims in the suit that he faces a permanent disability as a result of his untreated spinal injury and burns sustained during the radiation therapy.
Meisner is suing Dr. Alexander Agranovich and three radiation therapists, all employed by the BC Cancer Agency, which is also named as a party in the suit. The suit also names the Provincial Heath Services Authority, which operates the cancer agency.
Papinder Rehncy, spokeswoman for the BC Cancer Agency, told ctvbc.ca that the agency would not comment, as the case is still before the courts.
None of the defendants have filed statements of defence, and the allegations in the suit have not been proven in court.
