ON February 23, my wife went to see her GP because she found a lump in her breast. As fate would have it, her stepmother who lives in Bolton had also discovered a breast lump a few days earlier.

My wife was told not to worry and that she would be referred to Bury General Hospital to see a consultant. She had not heard anything by March so I telephoned the appointments desk at the hospital. I was told an appointment would be sent in due course. April came and she had still not received an appointment, so I telephoned again.

This time, I was put through to the consultant's secretary. I told her that the Government stated that breast lumps are supposed to be seen within six weeks (current guidelines now state two). I told her that no one knew what the lump was, but my statements fell on deaf ears. She just repeated that an appointment would follow in due course. By May, my wife was becoming very worried so I again rang the consultant's secretary and politely told her that my wife had still not received an appointment, despite seeing her GP nearly three months earlier. She was given an appointment for June 9.

While all this was going on my wife's stepmother had been examined by a consultant at the Royal Bolton Hospital, diagnosed with cancer, admitted for surgery and had attended Christie Hospital for radiotherapy. By June 9 she was back at work.

On June 9 my wife finally saw a doctor at Bury General but had to wait until July 27 for imaging. My wife asked the radiologist for his opinion and though he did not know what the lump was he "did not like the look of it". Our appointment for the results was August 11 but after we insisted, in the circumstances, that the length of wait was unacceptable, the appointment was grudgingly brought forward to August 4. At that appointment we asked to see the consultant who told my wife that the lump was nothing to worry about. I asked about further tests, as a precaution, and was told that they would be "inappropriate". I informed the consultant what the radiologist had said and he told us we could have a second opinion but there was nothing to worry about.

On September 27, my wife attended Withington Hospital for that second opinion. That same day, following a mammogram and ultrasound scan, she was booked into Christie Hospital for a lumpectomy. The consultant asked when she had first discovered the lump and my wife told him February. He asked why she had not come straight away. He shook his head in disbelief on being told what had gone on.

My wife was admitted to Christie's and was in three days. A fortnight later we got the results which showed that she had two types of cancer in her breast and tests for treatment options were ongoing. A week later the consultant informed her that her only option was a mastectomy and axillary lymph node removal.

My wife is now at home recovering from the surgery and waiting to see how far the cancers have spread.

Hang your heads in shame, Bury General Hospital. What your consultant described as "nothing to worry about" was cancerous and aggressive, and was allowed to grow and divide inside my wife's breast for more than seven months before she was properly diagnosed. It doesn't bear thinking about what state she would be in had she not listened to what the radiologist had told her.

It has to be asked why lessons were not learned from the previous much-publicised fiasco at BGH regarding breast cancer diagnosis. I think it is more than time for the management to consider their positions and the medical staff concerned to be ordered back to medical school!

So that this is never ever allowed to happen to anyone again, I demand a public inquiry to look into all the issues, past and present, so that this time lessons will be learned. The breast department at Bury General should be closed and patients referred elsewhere until it can offer the proper care and treatment required, and it is given within the time limits set by the Government. If anyone wants an example of how things should be done, they should take a trip to Withington Hospital.

This letter is submitted under a pen-name solely because of the nature of the surgery my wife has had to endure. It should nevertheless be a warning to us all.

YOUR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS