Inquest into the death of James Sampson DORAN

85y · Male·metastatic prostate cancer

An 85-year-old man died of metastatic prostate cancer while in custody serving a sentence for historical child sexual offences. He had declined investigation and treatment for prostate cancer when an enlarged prostate was noted in 2017, subsequently diagnosed with metastatic disease in 2018 with a Gleason score of 9. He suffered two falls in custody, the second resulting in hip fracture shortly before death. The coroner found the cause of death was natural and that appropriate care was provided for his pre-existing conditions whilst in custody, with no issues identified in resuscitation attempts. The case illustrates challenges in managing elderly, infirm prisoners with multiple comorbidities and the importance of respecting patient autonomy in cancer screening decisions, even in custodial settings.