A Winnipeg breast cancer patient wants an apology from the pathologist who erred in his analysis of her biopsy, which led to her being told she didn't have cancer when she did.

"I feel cheated. I want to look this person in the eye, I want to see their face. I want to see the sincerity," Audrika White told CBC News in an interview.

"Right now, being told that the pathologist is sorry for what happened — it's not good enough."

Diagnostic Services Manitoba, which oversees public labs in the province, reviewed the pathologist's work and discovered five critical incidents — cases in which patients required a significant change in their prognosis or treatment — in biopsy results.

The agency has not named the pathologist, but CBC News has learned his name is Dr. Gang He, who had been practising in Manitoba since October 2010. He was suspended from practice in June 2011 following Diagnostic Services Manitoba's review of his cases.

'My world was destroyed'

Of the five critical incidents identified in the Diagnostic Services Manitoba review, two involved patients who were initially reported as benign; the amended report confirmed early cancer.

White, who was one of those two patients, said her ordeal began when an annual mammogram in February 2011 detected lumps in her right breast. The analysis of a needle biopsy indicated "no evidence of malignancy," meaning the lumps were benign, White said.

But several months later, White said, she was asked to come back for a meeting where she was told there had been a mistake.

"I went into the meeting and in less than five minutes my world was destroyed because I had been told I had been misdiagnosed," she said.

Following a lumpectomy, White was told in August that she has breast cancer. While it was caught early, she had to have her right breast removed.

"The only cure for it was to have a complete mastectomy of the right breast and followed by reconstruction," White said, her voice cracking.

Other discrepancies found

Diagnostic Services Manitoba's review looked at 3,006 of the pathologist's cases between October 2010 and June 2011.

In addition to the five critical incidents, 132 cases of pathological discrepancy were identified. In those cases, major changes in treatment were not required.

"I think it's very important that the patient know that we are extremely sorry that this error has occurred," said Dr. Amin Kabani, Diagnostic Services Manitoba's chief medical officer.

"All the physicians I speak to, all the administrative staff, they all feel the same way — they feel horrible that this has happened."

The pathologist quit soon after Diagnostic Services Manitoba placed him on administrative leave in June 2011.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba said his licence expired in August 2011.

Pathlogist shortage

He came to Manitoba in October 2010, at a time when Diagnostic Services Manitoba had eight vacant pathology positions.

He was subjected to an extensive interview process, Kabani said, despite the shortage of pathologists.

Kabani said the review of the pathologist's work was triggered by complaints from other doctors, as well as a review of his work by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"We are trying our best to put in quality processes that go even further," Kabani said.

White said she cannot say what might have changed if her cancer was caught during the first round of tests, but she is angry it took months before she learned of the misdiagnosis. Most of all, she said, she is angry that the pathologist has not apologized to her.

With files from the CBC's Vera-Lynn Kubinec and Alex Freedman