A man is suing a hospital for carrying out invasive surgery to remove a 'cancerous' tumour which later turned out to be benign.
Mark Welland, 61, says he was told by oncologists at the Royal Marsden Hospital in west London that he required keyhole surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his pancreas.
The operation in October 2020 was beset with difficulties as Mr Welland, of Isleworth, west London, began bleeding uncontrollably and lost 3.5 litres of blood, forcing clinicians to switch to open theatre surgery.
However, tests after surgery revealed the growth was a benign nodule, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Now, Mr Welland, who lost over 40 per cent of his pancreas as well as his entire spleen in the procedure, is suing the hospital trust for £400,000 in damages due to negligence.
The father-of-two says he was only told about the risks of surgery after he was anaesthetised and being transported to the operating theatre.
He also claims he was forced to retire from his job as a postman due to ill health after the operation and can no longer drive or wear a seatbelt due to abdominal pain
Documents further claim he has put on weight due to decreased movement, with bloating and pain, as well as a risk of diabetes.
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust has admitted one breach of duty and acknowledges Mr Welland ought to have been given the choice of waiting and seeing instead of immediate surgery.
Mr Welland was referred to the Royal Marsden in April 2020 after a small pancreatic lesion was found on a CT scan.
His solicitors at Stone Rowe Brewer, based in Twickenham, insist he was not informed that an endoscopic ultrasound scan in August 2020 was inconclusive, or that he could have had a benign nodule called splenunculus - affecting over 10 per cent of the population.
Mr Welland says he was only informed of surgical risks after he had been given a spinal anaesthetic.
His solicitors further allege that consultant surgeon Richy Bohl told him he would lose 20 per cent of pancreas and possibly 40 per cent of his spleen, adding it was "wholly inappropriate" for Mr Bhogal to mention these risks after he was anaesthetised.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust has yet to lodge any defence to the lawsuit. A spokesman said: "As this is an ongoing matter, we are unable to comment at this time."
