A woman treated by jailed breast surgeon Ian Paterson died before questions could be raised about the surgery and subsequent secondary cancer, her husband has said.

catharine coyne is dead One of the 62 is being investigated An investigation into the deaths of Patterson’s patients has begun in Birmingham.

Her husband Stuart tells how, as the family grieved, questions emerged “cleavage-sparing” procedure Which was not recognized by the authorities, where breast tissue was left behind.

He said his wife developed secondary cancer in 2004 and died four years later, before the term “cleavage-sparing” came into the public domain.

Mr Coyne described how his wife underwent procedures with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and was left with “two small mounds on her chest wall”.

He said: “He assumed this was the correct procedure.”

And he said Patterson’s “bedside manner” was good and was reassuring to both of them.

But she said neither of them realized that her mastectomy was not performed properly, and Mrs. Coyne developed secondary liver cancer in 2004.

Following his death at home in Hampton Coppice, Solihull, the family was doing their best to move on when “the rumblings” began in the local press in 2010–11.

Reports began to raise questions about whether the so-called cleavage-sparing mastectomy was the right procedure for patients.

He said: “We were wondering if she had had a total flat-chested mastectomy, would that have meant the secondary cancer would not have occurred?

“Obviously it raised those views and concerns and it makes you feel, I guess, angry, that maybe a proper process wasn’t followed.”

Mrs Coyne, a data protection officer, worked in a number of roles at Birmingham City Council, before taking ill health retirement.

Mr Coyne, an engineer who met his wife as a teenager and married her in 1986, recalled her bravery and resilience during her treatment, and how she “always remained positive”.

He said it was a “complete shock” when the coroner contacted the family and told them Mrs Coyne’s case was being investigated.

They hope his inquiry will eventually give them some answers.

The long-running inquest into the deaths of Paterson’s patients saw a preliminary coroner’s inquest in 2020, with more than 50 cases listed.

Last year, Judge Richard Foster was appointed as coroner to conduct the inquests Due to their complexity, scale and time commitment, the hearings were expected to last two years.

Eight cases were added to the list last month and more are being investigated in hearings at Birmingham and Solihull Coroner’s Court, which are being held without juries.

The coroner said in September that 20 further inquests would be opened during the hearing and that he expected more cases would be revealed.

On Monday, the inquiry is expected to hear arguments on Patterson’s request to adjourn proceedings.

A timetable for the proceedings said there would also be arguments that the coroner had a duty to provide Patterson with funding for legal representation and expert evidence.

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