A single mother who developed cervical cancer is planning to sue Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust for £300,000 after she was twice told her smear test results were normal.

Kate Farmer, of Edgware, had her cancer left untreated for two years due to failures by the trust, resulting in her chances of survival dropping from 98 per cent to just 40 per cent. The trust has admitted liability.

The results of the smear test were mistakenly all-clear' in both 2000 and 2002. Miss Farmer was then misdiagnosed by a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, who claimed she only had fibroids non-cancerous growths in the walls of the uterus which are easily treatable.

In fact, the 40-year-old was in the grip of cancer. She had developed a tumour the size of a grapefruit and was experiencing shooting pains in her groin as well as extreme discomfort. "I don't feel any resentment towards Barnet and Chase Farm. By all accounts the people who do the smear tests have had a tough job and mistakes can be made, " she said.

"I do feel unhappy about the Royal Free. I have a daughter with special needs and knew I wouldn't last the summer (of 2002) unless I got help. It took a long time to get an appointment which wasn't months away. When they did see me, they told me it was fibroids, or polyps, and I should return in two months. It was only when my GP arranged for me to go and see another doctor at the same hospital that they found out it was cancer.

"I'm appalled by the hospital's behaviour. I don't feel any resentment though. Maybe just some resentment for my own bad luck."

After she was correctly diagnosed, Miss Farmer had to undergo a kidney operation to keep her alive, then endure weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The single mother also had to care for her ten-year-old daughter Katie, who has learning difficulties, while fearing her death my put her child into care.

A spokesman for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS FROM Pg 3 Trust said: "The trust wishes to express its regret and sincere apologies to Kate Farmer for the shortcomings in her care.

"The trust has admitted liability and wishes to resolve this claim amicably and as soon as possible.

"Senior staff have reviewed the standard of care Kate Farmer received and have learned from this experience."

A spokesperson for the Royal Free Hospital said:"We are very sorry that Ms Farmer is unhappy with aspects of the care she received at the Royal Free. We have recently been advised that Ms Farmer has dropped a legal claim she was making against the trust.

"If she now wishes to make a formal complaint we will, of course, investigate it thoroughly and report back to her."