Postman sues hospital after having surgery to remove cancer he did not have

A retired postman is suing a hospital for carrying out a major surgery to remove a cancerous tumour, only for doctors to find it was benign, the Daily Mail reported.

Mark Welland, 61, was told by oncologists that he had a cancerous lump on his pancreas and had keyhole surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital in west London in October 2020.

But things went wrong and Mr Welland started uncontrollably bleeding under the knife - losing 3.5 litres of blood - forcing surgeons to convert to an open operation.

Doctors had removed 40 per cent of his pancreas and his entire spleen in the surgery, which he says has left him in long-term pain and ill health.

But tests after the fact found that the father of two did not have cancer - the lump was a benign nodule.

Mr Welland claims he was only told of the risks he faced in surgery once already anaesthetised and being rolled into the operating theatre.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust admitted a breach of duty in October 2023, saying Mr Welland should have been given the option of watching and waiting rather than immediate surgical intervention.

He had to retire from his job as a postman on health grounds following the operation and is now bringing legal action against the hospital, accusing the Trust of negligence and suing for £400,000 in damages.

Legal documents lodged in the High Court explain that Mr Welland now has to take antibiotics for the rest of his life to account for his missing spleen and has suffered abdominal scarring.

The court will also be told of his early retirement and that he stands at risk of severe infection.