RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesThe frequency of pathology sample mislabeling or mix-ups during medical testing is not definitively known
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An Atlanta-area woman is suing Kaiser Permanente, alleging she was wrongly diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and underwent an unnecessary hysterectomy due to a critical labeling error.
Cassandra Barksdale and her legal team filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Kaiser Permanente, claiming the mix-up led to the invasive surgery and months of profound physical and emotional distress.
According to the lawsuit, a tissue sample from another patient was mistakenly labeled as belonging to Barksdale. At 43 years old, she then underwent a full hysterectomy on May 15, 2025, and was subsequently told to expect instructions regarding chemotherapy.
The precise cause of the mix-up remains unclear.
However, in September 2025, Barksdale was informed that a DNA analysis had revealed the tissue sample, which indicated an aggressive endometrial uterine cancer, belonged to a different individual and not to her, the lawsuit states.
"She came into Kaiser Permanente looking for answers, and she left with a diagnosis that did not belong to her. And every step that was taken after that was based off of misinformation," her attorney Shannan Young said.
Barksdale had initially visited Kaiser Permanente Southwood Medical Center in Jonesboro, Georgia, in early 2025, seeking treatment for heavy bleeding and fibroids, which are noncancerous growths.
She underwent a biopsy on March 10, 2025.
After receiving the biopsy results on March 17, 2025, Barksdale recounted living for months under the belief she had an aggressive cancer, plunging her and her sons into a deep depression.
"I even started making funeral plans with them to let them know, you know, if I don’t make it out, this is what I want done," Barksdale stated.
In response, representatives for Kaiser Permanente issued a statement: "Ms. Barksdale should not have experienced this."
The statement continued: "We have highly trained staff and very thorough processes in place to prevent errors like this from taking place. After this occurred last year, we took immediate steps to ensure it could not happen again. We realize the impact of this incident and are committed to working with Ms. Barksdale and her counsel to resolve this in the most fair and accountable way we can."
Due to privacy laws, details concerning the other patient, including their condition or whether their cancer treatment was delayed, are not publicly available.
The frequency of pathology sample mislabeling or mix-ups during medical testing is not definitively known.
However, a similar lawsuit was filed by an Ohio woman who alleged a 2019 biopsy error led to a lung cancer misdiagnosis and unnecessary surgery.
A 2011 research paper on prostate cancer also documented three instances of biopsy sample misidentification over a two-year period.
Medical laboratories have implemented various best practices, such as barcode systems for specimen labeling and point-of-care testing, to mitigate such errors.
The Georgia lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
"There’s no amount of money that’s going to return back to her, her healthy organs, or erase the experiences and the pain that she’s had. But our justice system recognizes that when somebody’s negligence harms another person, accountability requires more than ‘I’m sorry,'" Young emphasized.
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