A 61-year-old man who was wrongly diagnosed with inoperable cancer is to sue the NHS, according to a report by the Press Association.

In April, 2007, a doctor at Dorset County Hospital told Phil Collins of Yetminster, near Sherborne, Dorset that a scan showed that his enlarged gall bladder was cancerous and the disease had spread to his liver.

Mr Collins gave up his job and spent £18,000 of his pension money on a motorbike and a car for his wife, who also quit her job to care for him.

However, Mr Collins survived what was supposed to be his last Christmas – and in April this year, tests confirmed that what he was actually suffering from was an abscess that was non-malignant.

Mr Collins is currently in hospital, having been given drugs to treat his supposed cancer.

A spokesman for the hospital said:

‘We apologise unreservedly for the misdiagnosis and are truly sorry for the distress and anxiety caused to Mr Collins and his family.’

Mr Collins told The Sun newspaper, however, that the cancer drugs he took had ruined his life.

‘I was a fit man and had a lot of working life left. Now I can't do anything. I am shutting down. My stomach is so swollen it crushes my legs.’

The hospital said that a full investigation would be launched to find out why Mr Collins was misdiagnosed and to ensure it did not happen again.

© 5r1 Limited

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