A Douglas County jury on Wednesday cleared a Lawrence surgeon of negligence in a case filed after a woman died of breast cancer.

The lawsuit alleged Dr. Stephen Myrick didn’t perform a biopsy on a cyst found in a woman’s breast and she died as a result.

Paula McMillan, of Topeka, discovered the lump in her left breast in February 2004 and was referred to Myrick for testing, according to court documents.

During a March 9, 2004, sonogram, he examined a 5-millimeter cyst and determined no additional follow up was necessary.

Myrick said he was hesitant to perform a biopsy because the woman had a breast implant, according to a letter he wrote to a doctor.

In early 2005, McMillan detected several new lumps in her breast, according to court documents prepared by Myrick’s attorneys.

A different doctor diagnosed her with cancer in April 2005, but the cancer spread and the 39-year-old woman died May 13, 2005.

McMillan’s estate and 7-year-old daughter sought $1.5 million in damages, claiming that had Myrick diagnosed the cancer she could have been cured. Jurors deliberated for nearly seven hours before issuing a verdict.