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Canterbury man died fearing cancer had returned. It hadn’t, coroner finds

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

Associate Coroner Peter Buckle says patients should generally be told the results of medical tests, even when they are normal. (Stock image)
Associate Coroner Peter Buckle says patients should generally be told the results of medical tests, even when they are normal. (Stock image)

A Canterbury man who died by suicide while fearing his cancer had returned never learned that medical tests had found no sign of the disease, prompting a coroner to call for a change in how patients receive test results.

Associate Coroner Peter Buckle found William Esmond Lightowler, 63, of Doyleston in the Selwyn district, died in June 2019 after becoming overwhelmed by a combination of health concerns and personal pressures.

Lightowler had been treated successfully for bladder cancer and underwent regular monitoring because of his medical history and family history of the disease. A biopsy in May 2019 found no evidence that his cancer had returned, but the reassuring result was not communicated to him before his death.

In findings newly released to the public, the coroner said it could not be known whether telling Lightowler the result would have prevented his death. But he found it was likely the reassurance would have reduced the risk of suicide.

The coroner found Lightowler believed his cancer had returned and wrote of feeling overwhelmed. Alongside his ongoing health concerns, he was facing the loss of the rental home where he had lived for more than a decade and had been forced to rehome his cat. The coroner found those factors combined to contribute to his decision to take his own life.

He recommended patients should generally be told all test results, including normal ones. He said reassuring results could be just as significant as abnormal ones in reducing anxiety and helping patients make informed decisions.

The Medical Council and the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners agreed with the intent of the recommendation, but warned that routinely communicating every result could place extra pressure on already stretched general practices and risk overwhelming patients with information.

The coroner accepted those concerns but maintained his recommendation, saying the starting point should be to share information with patients. Doctors should still use their judgment, Buckle said, but sharing results should be the default.

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