Woman diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer sues over misread mammograms
A Henrico County, Virginia, woman recently filed a lawsuit alleging Michael Bigg misread her mammograms and delayed her breast cancer treatment for two years. She is the sixth woman to file suit against the radiologist and owner of Allison Breast Center.
Richmond 6 News published their report on Tuesday, noting Sonja Wowk, 63, had mammograms completed at the recently de-certified center in January 2018 and 2019. Each time Bigg said her results were negative until this past January when he finally recommended a biopsy for a mass detected in her right breast.
Wowk was later diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and in July she underwent a double mastectomy. The lawsuit alleges that Biggs’ diagnostic failure cost her the opportunity to receive more conservative treatment when the cancer was in its earlier stages.
Back in May, the Virginia Board of Medicine suspended Biggs’ medical license, publishing a 61-page report concluding he misread 18 patients’ mammograms and was “incompetent to practice medicine and surgery.” Then in September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pulled Allison Breast Center’s mammography certification.
Bigg’s wife, Gillian Bigg, penned a lengthy note apologizing for any suffering they may have caused and indicated they were shocked by the news.
According to Richmond 6, Wowk is not one of the 18 women listed in the board’s May report.
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.