St James’s Hospital apologises to Seánagh Rice after breast cancer case settles
The Dublin hospital admitted liability after Rice sued over the handling of an abnormal breast MRI. She underwent a mastectomy while pregnant and chemotherapy after giving birth.
St James’s Hospital admitted liability and apologised in Dublin’s High Court on 20 October 2026 after settling a case brought by Seánagh Rice over the handling of an abnormal breast MRI. Rice, 33, underwent a mastectomy while pregnant and chemotherapy after the birth of her baby.
Rice sued the hospital over an alleged delay in diagnosing her breast cancer. Her counsel told the court that her case was that diagnosis had been delayed by eight months, The Irish Times reported. The settlement terms were not disclosed in the reports.
What happened after Rice’s April 2023 MRI
A routine breast MRI in April 2023 identified an abnormality measuring more than 3cm in Rice’s left breast, and further investigation by ultrasound or biopsy was recommended, according to The Irish Times and RTÉ. RTÉ reported that no follow-up investigation was arranged and that the omission was identified at her next scheduled surveillance appointment in January 2024.
Rice was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at that January appointment. She underwent a left mastectomy and reconstruction while 31 weeks pregnant, then chemotherapy after her baby was born. She had been attending regular screening because she carried a BRCA2 gene variant; RTÉ reported that she learned of the variant in 2018, after her mother died of breast cancer at 48.
Hospital apology and Rice’s response
In a letter read to the court, the hospital acknowledged that Rice’s experience fell below the standard of care it strives to provide and apologised for the distress caused to her and her family. The hospital said it was committed to patient safety and the highest standard of care.
Speaking after the settlement, Rice said the physical and emotional consequences had been overwhelming and that she had lost precious time with her children. She said the abnormality identified on her MRI had not been acted on for nine months. ‘No settlement can ever give me back what I have lost,’ she said, according to The Irish Times.
Rice said she hoped lessons would be learned so that no other woman would have the same experience, The Irish Times reported. Her counsel’s claim that an earlier diagnosis would have avoided chemotherapy was part of her case; the reports did not describe a court finding on that question.
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Sources and context
- Hospital apologises to woman who had to have a mastectomy when seven months pregnantThe Irish Times
- Hospital apologises to woman for 'failings in its care'RTÉ News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.