A Swedish hospital on Tuesday (22/10) said 33 women underwent unnecessary hysterectomies in 2023 and 2024 after being incorrectly diagnosed as being at risk of uterine cancer.
Uppsala University Hospital said the incorrect diagnoses were discovered in women aged 38 to 85 in a review after the hospital noted an "unexplained" increase in cases.
"The women were told after testing that they had precancerous cells that are a precursor to uterine cancer, and were therefore recommended surgery," the hospital said in a statement.
Those diagnoses were later found "to be incorrect. No surgery would have been necessary," it added.
"We deeply regret what has happened. Removing the uterus is a major operation, with major and irreversible consequences. It shouldn't happen, and yet it did," Johan Lugnegard, chief physician at the hospital, said in the statement.
Local media reported that Lugnegard told a press conference that most of the women were in their 50s and 60s.
The hospital said the affected women will be offered a chance to apply for compensation.
The hospital said women had been diagnosed with Endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN), a precursor to uterine cancer. It said a review had found that there had been "a systematic overdiagnosis."