Woman Diagnosed with Cancer via ChatGPT After NHS Results Leak

Woman Receives Cancer Diagnosis Through ChatGPT After NHS Data Breach

In a startling case highlighting both the potential and pitfalls of modern healthcare technology, a young woman from Cambridge discovered she had thyroid cancer after using the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to interpret her medical results. The results had been accidentally released early on her NHS MyChart platform, leaving her to seek answers independently.

The Shocking Discovery

Pippa Collins-Gould, a 29-year-old childcare worker and full-time student, initially visited her GP in April 2025 with a persistent chest infection. During the examination, her doctor noticed an abnormality on the left side of her neck. By June, an ultrasound confirmed a lump on her thyroid, which later swelled to the size of a golf ball and became painful.

"When I was told the lump needed to be removed, alarm bells were ringing," Pippa recalled. "I just knew in my gut it had to be cancer." Despite attending A&E in pain and being told it was "probably nothing," a biopsy proved inconclusive, and she was advised to have the lump removed within two weeks.

The Premature Results Release

In July 2025, Pippa underwent surgery at Addenbrooke's Hospital to remove the lump, leaving her with a 2.5cm scar across her throat. She praised the exceptional care from medical staff but was later shocked to find her surgical test results had been uploaded prematurely to her MyChart health records while she was at work.

"It was infuriating because they didn't even know they'd released them," she explained. "I called the reception team, and she was confused—she said 'they shouldn't have released them to you because you're on a cancer pathway.' It was showing potential cancer, and nobody had even noticed until I called to chase my appointment."

Turning to AI for Answers

Feeling lost and desperate, Pippa turned to ChatGPT, entering her full medical report into the AI system. ChatGPT analyzed the results and indicated she had encapsulated angioinvasive follicular thyroid cancer. This diagnosis was subsequently confirmed by her specialist during a consultation.

Pippa remarked: "ChatGPT had explained it to me more than my own consultant. I literally sent the whole report in, and it was so easy. ChatGPT will give statistics and how rare things are. I'm not saying people should go by it all the time, but it was the only thing that answered my questions."

Aftermath and Apology

Pippa now believes she has been given the all-clear following the lump's removal, according to her MyChart records. However, she is determined to highlight the issue of premature disclosure. "If you have an illness, you want to know everything you possibly can," she reflected. "I had cancer when I didn't know it, and when I knew it, I didn't have it. I'm extremely grateful. Some people can have entire thyroids removed and have to take lifelong medications."

She added, "I am also grateful for the NHS. It is under strain, but they were so quick from my initial GP appointment through to the removal. But accidentally releasing cancer results and not acknowledging it is not okay."

A spokesperson for Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) expressed sincere apologies to Ms. Collins-Gould for the way she received her results via MyChart. "It is standard practice for our dedicated staff to deliver cancer diagnoses in person during an appointment, alongside access to appropriate support," the spokesperson said. "For results where cancer may be confirmed, a 21-day period is built into the app before results are then visible to patients. We regret that on this occasion, the diagnosis was not conveyed in person within this time frame."