A DYING Burnley woman who claimed her doctor failed to diagnose skin cancer on more than one occasion has been paid £80,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

Frances Schofield, 63, of Ightenhill, Burnley, said she repeatedly asked her doctor to remove a mole from one of her toes four years ago but claimed he refused until it was too late.

The widow, who raised £100,000 for the Christie Hospital in Manchester, was given two years to live in January.

Doctors at the Christie are hoping to try a new chemotherapy treatment which could confine her to a wheelchair and lead to the loss her leg and, even if successful, her prospects would still be poor.

Medical experts said that if the mole had been removed when Mrs Schofield noticed it in May 1999 it is likely that she could have been cured.

The GP, Dr Chaudry Hyder, has not admitted liability. The money will be paid by the doctor's insurance company for Mrs Schofield's care as her health deteriorates.

Mrs Schofield told how she became worried when a small mole on her toe began to turn black and began to bleed.

She contacted her GP because of a history of skin cancer in her family but she said her doctor only prescribed her steroid ointment which did not work.

She was eventually referred to a surgeon on a non-urgent basis so she decided to pay for a private consultation.

Mrs Schofield was diagnosed with terminal malignant melanoma and referred to Christie Hospital for treatment in December 1999, seven months after the mole appeared.

Her toe was removed but she has since developed more melanomas and a growth has developed on her leg.

Mrs Schofield, who has three children, said: "It's a horror story. I have probably lost the chance of grandchildren, which is my one wish."

Dr Hyder, who has a practice at Ightenhill Medical Centre in Burnley, declined to comment because of patient confidentiality.

The payment was an out-of-court settlement made by the Medical Defence Union, which represented Dr Hyder.

Mrs Schofield's lawyer, Janet Johnson, of Manchester firm Jack Thornley and Partners, said: "I am afraid we had to organise the payout on the basis that Mrs Schofield's prognosis is now extremely poor and she knows she probably won't live to a normal life expectancy.

Our medical experts said that up to 20 weeks after Mrs Schofield first asked her doctor to refer her, she would have virtually been guaranteed a complete cure. Even three months later, she would have had a 50/50 chance of a complete cure."