Georgia woman sues Kaiser Permanente after alleged cancer misdiagnosis led to hysterectomy
A Georgia woman has filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, alleging she underwent an unnecessary hysterectomy after being mistakenly diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer.
(CNN)- A Georgia woman has filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, alleging she underwent an unnecessary hysterectomy after being mistakenly diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer.
According to the lawsuit, Cassandra Barksdale sought treatment at Kaiser Permanente’s Southwood campus in Jonesboro in March 2025 for heavy bleeding and fibroids.
After a biopsy, Barksdale says she was told she had an aggressive form of uterine cancer.
The lawsuit alleges another patient’s tissue specimen was mistakenly labeled as Barksdale’s and sent for testing under her name.
Believing she had cancer, Barksdale says doctors recommended surgery.
She underwent a total hysterectomy in May, removing her uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes and four lymph nodes.
According to the lawsuit, testing performed on the tissue removed during surgery found no evidence of cancer.
Months later, Barksdale says she received a revised pathology report stating the biopsy specimen that tested positive for cancer actually belonged to another patient.
The lawsuit says Kaiser Permanente informed her that DNA testing confirmed the cancerous tissue sample had been misidentified.
Barksdale’s attorney argues the surgery was unnecessary and says the mistake permanently ended her ability to have biological children.
The lawsuit seeks to hold Kaiser Permanente accountable for the alleged error.
