According to a lawsuit, 43-year-old Cassandra Barksdale underwent a complete hysterectomy after doctors told her she had an aggressive form of uterine cancer. Another patient’s biopsy sample had reportedly been mislabeled as Barksdale’s, leading physicians to recommend life-altering surgery for cancer she never had. Featured on BlackDoctor xBarksdale initially sought treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding and uterine fibroids—noncancerous growths that affect millions of women. Black Women Undergo Hysterectomies at Higher RatesBarksdale’s story is particularly significant because Black women are already more likely than women of other racial and ethnic groups to undergo hysterectomies. They are significantly more likely to undergo hysterectomy as treatment for fibroids than White women, even when less invasive options may be available.