Wife learned of cancer on Norway trip, inquest told
HUSBAND: ‘SHE WAS AN ABSOLUTE FIGHTER’
A SOUTH Derbyshire woman described as “absolute fighter” died months after being told she had cancer while on holiday, an inquest heard.
Susan Malpas, 57, was later formally diagnosed with mesothelioma after going to the Royal Derby Hospital with problems with her stomach.
The hearing, held at Derby and Derbyshire Coroner’s Court, heard that the cancer was already in its advanced stages when Mrs Malpas was diagnosed and she deteriorated quickly.
Her general health – which saw her experience tiredness, nausea and “abdominal symptoms” – meant she was unsuitable for chemotherapy.
Mrs Malpas was also diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot. She died on October 2, 2018.
Her husband, John, told the inquest his wife had started to feel ill while on holiday in Norway and it was in a hospital there that she was told she had cancer. They flew home the next day.
He said: “I kind of knew that she had cancer. For me, the IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) must have been a sign and she was concerned about her health when we went on holiday. She had booked in to see a consultant about her bowels.
“Susan would never give up – she was an absolute fighter. Even though her prognosis was terminal, to her that didn’t make any difference – she was going to fight it anyway.”
Mr Malpas raised concerns over enoxaparin – a medication often given to mesothelioma patients to curb the risk of blood clots – not being prescribed when his wife was discharged on August 24, 2018. She returned on August 30 and was prescribed it by a junior doctor, but at a lower dose than what it should have been.
Mr Malpas said he wanted to ensure the same did not happen to anyone else. Mesothelioma is linked to exposure to asbestos and can occur years after it is breathed in.
Mrs Malpas worked for councils and it was not known where she was exposed to the substance. Assistant coroner for Derby and Derbyshire Sabyta Kaushal recorded a conclusion of natural cause, saying Mrs Malpas, of Oaklands Road, Etwall, died from peritoneal mesothelioma.
She said she recognised there had been concerns in Mrs Malpas’ case about enoxaparin. Those concerns surrounded the fact it was initially not prescribed when she left hospital and that she was then not given the right amount by a junior doctor.
However, the coroner was satisfied a review had been carried out and new measures had been introduced since the incident in 2018, including using a drugs chart that is always doublechecked by staff.
It was added that although it was recognised there were missed opportunities with the medication, it is unlikely this would have made any difference to the outcome.
Miss Kaushal apologised for the delay in the inquest being heard, adding that the only comfort of this was that the hospital had had time to bring in new policies regarding medication.