Misdiagnosis Leads to Hysterectomy for Atlanta Woman
An Atlanta-area woman claims that improper handling of a tissue sample resulted in her being misdiagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer, leading to a full hysterectomy at the age of 43.
Cassandra Barksdale faced premature menopause after undergoing surgery last year, as detailed in a lawsuit filed in Clayton County, Georgia.
The lawsuit names several parties, including Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company, along with lab technicians who are believed to have processed Barksdale’s sample.
Barksdale visited a doctor at a Kaiser Permanente facility in January 2025 due to issues with abnormal uterine bleeding and uterine fibroids. She was referred for a consultation and underwent an endometrial tissue biopsy in March 2025, which was sent to an external lab, Quest Diagnostics, for analysis.
On March 17, 2025, she was informed that she had high-grade, aggressive endometrial uterine cancer, according to the lawsuit.
Following this news, she had a CT scan that allegedly showed no signs of cancer and was then referred to a doctor at Northside Hospital Atlanta. Based on her previous imaging and pathology reports, the new doctor recommended a total hysterectomy along with the removal of her ovaries and biopsies of lymph nodes.
However, post-surgery tests on Barksdale’s tissue revealed no evidence of cancer or malignancy “in the entire endometrial cavity,” the lawsuit stated.
Kaiser Permanente released a statement, expressing its commitment to resolving the situation “in the most fair and accountable way we can.” The organization maintained that Barksdale’s experience should not have occurred, emphasizing the training and processes in place to avoid such errors. They also noted that steps were taken after the incident to prevent its recurrence.
Barksdale shared with reporters that the situation had a significant impact on her family, who believed she might only have five more years to live. “My sons began getting into a deep depression,” she said. “It took a big hold over my family.”
The lawsuit argues that the sample Barksdale provided in March 2025 was mishandled before reaching Quest Diagnostics. Quest has not yet responded to comments regarding the situation and is not being sued by Barksdale nor accused of any errors in the misdiagnosis.
Roderick Edmond, one of Barksdale’s attorneys, mentioned that the legal proceedings would shed more light on the situation and whether others might have been affected. “We don’t know that somebody else’s tissue was mislabeled, but that’s a possibility,” he said. “And if it was, you have to ask yourself, how long? What’s the status of this person who possibly went along thinking everything was okay for seven months?”
Barksdale is seeking a minimum of $10,000 in damages and a jury trial.
