Where a patient signed a consent form for a double mastectomy after being told about multiple options for treating her breast cancer, summary judgment on her HCLA claim against the surgeon based on surgical overtreatment and lack of informed consent was affirmed.
In Oakes v. Fox, No. E2024-00453-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 22, 2025), the plaintiff patient was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and met with defendant surgeon to discuss treatment options. According to the defendant and the notes in the plaintiff’s file, the defendant discussed multiple options with the plaintiff, including a lumpectomy and a double mastectomy. The parties agreed that the plaintiff asked the surgeon what he would choose for his wife, and he responded that he would choose the double mastectomy. The plaintiff expressed a desire to avoid radiation treatment, which the doctor informed her could likely be avoided with the mastectomy. The plaintiff chose to move forward with the double mastectomy.
On the day of the surgery, the plaintiff signed a consent form stating that she expressly consented to the double mastectomy and the removal of lymph nodes. A few months after the surgery, the plaintiff experienced lymphedema. She opted to undergo an elective revision surgery with a different doctor.