A woman with pre-cancerous cells was wrongly given the all-clear after a smear test.
During a routine test in 2008, Vivien Reynolds, 45, was told that no abnormalities had been found.
When she was then diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2011, the previous test carried out in 2008 was reviewed.
Three different screeners analysed the sample, and all three found pre-cancerous cells.
The Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has accepted liability, as no reasonable scanner would have missed the signs that were present.
Had the cancerous cells been correctly diagnosed, Ms Reynolds would have been treated with a routine procedure and would have made a full recovery.
Because of the delay, she continues to undergo treatment and has been told she could have two years left to live.
Mr Reynolds, from Widnes in Cheshire, said: “Mistakes can happen and not every single incidence of cervical cancer will be picked up by screening, but when the signs are so clear it is very worrying when they are missed.”
Mel Pickup, chief executive at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We fully investigated the circumstances of Mrs Reynolds smear test report in 2008 and found that her screening test did not identify a problem that might have then be treated earlier.
“We have accepted full liability for this and apologised.”
Delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer
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