A grandfather from Purley says he could have died after Croydon University Hospital repeatedly misdiagnosed his cancer.

Antonio Dyer, 61, said cancerous lumps which appeared on his body were wrongly chalked up as fatty tissues and a hernia.

By the time another hospital uncovered the truth, the cancer had developed almost to Stage 4.

He claims he later discovered the hospital had evidence years earlier that he could be developing cancer, but never told him or his GP.

“Their mistakes could have killed me,” he said.

“Everything I’ve had done there in the last two-and-a-half years is an absolute joke.”

He is now undergoing chemotherapy.

The hospital did not dispute Mr Dyer’s claims when approached by Your Local Guardian.

“Hernia”

Mr Dyer has lived in Croydon since 1973 and runs his own firm, repairing catering equipment for trains.

In 2021, a painful lump appeared in his groin.

He was referred for a hernia operation by Croydon Hospital without ever having a scan, he alleged.

He said he had the operation in August 2021 and was sent home.

Your Local Guardian: Mr Dyer said Croydon University Hospital gave him a hernia operation without checking he had a hernia, then misdiagnosed his cancerous lumps as 'soft tissue'Mr Dyer said Croydon University Hospital gave him a hernia operation without checking he had a hernia, then misdiagnosed his cancerous lumps as 'soft tissue' (Image: Google Streetview)

But then he was called back to the hospital and informed that the instead of finding a hernia, the surgeon had found and removed an enlarged lymph node.

Mr Dyer had a cancer called Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which he alleges was missed four years earlier.

In 2017, he was having trouble passing water and had a CT scan, but said he was told nothing was visibly wrong.

But in 2021, said Mr Dyer: “The doctor said he had just looked at the scan and unfortunately, you could already see the cancer there.

“I’d had this cancer from 2017, but there was no referral. They never told me, never told my GP.”

Lumps

Mr Dyer now had Stage 2 cancer.

He attended regular appointments with a consultant but claimed he was never sent for scans to check progress.

He said he was only ever asked questions, like whether he was experiencing night sweats.

He said he was assured each time that he was still at Stage 2 and was even told it was “a good cancer” to have and his life expectancy could be 25 years.

Then a lump appeared under Mr Dyer’s arm.

He returned to Croydon Hospital, but said he was assured that it was just “a soft tissue”.

“I said, ‘I don’t understand. Soft tissue doesn’t hurt. This hurts’,” Mr Dyer recounted.

“The doctor said, ‘Pain’s good. It means you’re alive’.”

Days later, another lump appeared, this time under his chin.

He said the hospital claimed that was just soft tissue as well.

Your Local Guardian: Mr Dyer said he would always seek a second opinion in future after visiting Croydon Hospital, describing his treatment as 'an absolute joke'Mr Dyer said he would always seek a second opinion in future after visiting Croydon Hospital, describing his treatment as 'an absolute joke' (Image: Charles Thomson)

Second Opinion

“It was only when I went to the Royal Marsden that they decided to do a PET scan,” said Mr Dyer.

It showed the cancer had spread all over his body.

“They said, ‘You’re not at Level 4 yet, but you’re close to it’,” Mr Dyer said.

“I asked them, ‘If I had stayed with what Croydon were saying, that I was still Level 2 and needed no treatment, what would have happened?’

“They said, ‘You probably would have been dead by the end of summer’.”

Fortunately, said Mr Dyer, scans suggest his chemotherapy is working “really, really well”.

“I think I need a second opinion every time I go into that hospital now,” he said of Croydon.

“It’s not run like a hospital, it’s run like a business – and a dodgy one. It needs to be investigated from the top, all the way down.”

Hospital Response

“We are sorry that Mr Dyer is unhappy with his care and we take safety and treatment of our patients very seriously,” said Croydon University Hospital.

“It is especially important that decisions about cancer treatment are made with our patients.

“Cancer diagnosis and care plans are also reviewed with experts at our Trust and the Royal Marsden, where specialist treatment is needed.

“We have thoroughly reviewed Mr Dyer’s concerns and would encourage him to accept our offer to discuss the outcome and the many steps we take to diagnose and start treatment in line with national guidance.”