An 'unacceptable number of errors' were made by a locum pathologist at University College Hospital Galway in 2004 which affected the care of three patients, according to a HSE review.
It says that a diagnosis of prostate cancer in two male patients was delayed from 2004 until 2006 due to reporting errors.
The delays do not appear to have had a long-term adverse impact on their care.
A third patient had a second procedure to remove a wider area of skin but the review found this procedure was not necessary.
The pathologist, referred to as Dr E, worked in Galway for six weeks during February and March of 2004 and left Ireland that year.
In December 2007, management at University College Hospital in Galway were alerted to concerns about his performance in the UK.
Dr E was suspended by the General Medical Council in September 2007 for professional related reasons.
During his time in Galway, Dr E dealt with over 980 cases and all the samples have been reviewed.
After the review of slides or specimens, findings were changed in 35 cases.
Professor Martin Cormican, clinical director of laboratory medicine at University College Hospital Galway said that arising from the review, changes have been made to the way staff work at the hospital to reduce the risk of something similar happening again.
