A Croydon pensioner died after a doctor misdiagnosed her bowel cancer as haemorrhoids - despite being told by her that she feared she had the killer disease, a misconduct hearing has heard.

The 70-year-old, whose identity has not been revealed, told Dr Chandra Pawa her father died from bowel cancer and she thought she also had it after her weight plummeted by 10kg.

But despite the symptoms, Pawa told the patient - identified only as Mrs A - "not to worry" when she had a consultation with him at the Fieldway Medical Centre, New Addington, instead telling her she had piles in a diagnosis on January 13, 2004.

Opening the case for the General Medical Council, Salva Ramasamy said: "She told him she was suffering from significant rectal bleeding and was sometimes unable to make it to the bathroom in time.

"He knew or ought to have known about her family history of bowel cancer. He did not examine her and asked her no questions about her bowel habits or rectal bleeding.

"She was told not to worry because it was probably haemorrhoids. But the problems continued and she repeatedly consulted him over the months of 2004."

The panel heard how, despite seven consultations over a 10-month period, Pawa failed to examine Mrs A's rectum and abdomen or take a blood test, only agreeing to carry out an examination after Mrs A's sister told him: "I am not leaving until you do."

Realising his error, the doctor immediately referred Mrs A for an urgent specialist assessment but the disease had already spread to her liver and lungs and she died just months later on May 7, 2005 at a nursing home.

The GMC heard Mrs A weighed just seven stones when she was finally sent to the Royal Marsden Hospital for further tests and was diagnosed with rectal cancer. It was claimed she would still be alive today had Pawa carried out an examination during her initial consultations.

Mrs A made a statement on December 19 2005, just months before her death. In it she said: "The bleeding caused me great concern as my father had suffered bowel cancer and I had a strong suspicion I was suffering from the same thing. But he told me not to worry.

"I thought I had to believe what he said because he was a doctor and I trusted him."

Pawa is charged with failing to carry out an examination on Mrs A, take a blood test, ask her about her symptoms and refer her for urgent specialist treatment.

While he admits most of the charges, he denies that his fitness to practice is impaired.

The hearing continues.