Failure to diagnose cancer leads to terrible suffering and wrongful deaths for thousands of Americans each year. A failure to diagnose or misdiagnose cancer allows the cancer to progress through the body until the point where nothing can be done to save the patient's life. When a doctor fails to properly diagnose or misdiagnoses the cancer, the patient suffers enormously from the wrong treatment, delayed treatment, or lack of receiving any treatment at all.
Cancer is not a single disease; it's a multitude of different types of problems involving different organ systems, so there is different statistics for different types of cancers. When it comes to some types of cancers, such as certain types of brain cancers or pancreatic cancer, it almost doesn't make a lot of difference if there is a delay diagnosing them, because these types of cancers are difficult to treat no matter when they are detected. Other types of cancers, such as non-small cell, lung cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer, are effected by treatment time, because treatment delays do result in some differences in terms of the patient's outcome when there has been a significant delay. Regardless of the type of cancer or location of the cancer, the earlier the diagnosis is made, and the sooner treatment begins, the better the chances for survival.
Regarding medical malpractice cases, we have to look at every type of patient or claim where a patient has had some type of delay in diagnosis in cancer, as an individual case, because each case is different based on the types of different cancers, time frames, and a number of different types of factors. The law is also different for the statistics used for the types of cancer cases. Therefore, every cancer case has to be looked at individually and we can't make generalizations. But there are certainly a lot of patients who unnecessarily have a terminal prognosis given or die as a result in the delay of their diagnosis.
The following are examples of cancer misdiagnosis:
If you believe you or someone you care about was not properly diagnosed for cancer or misdiagnosed, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice case. Contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney today. Dr. Bruce Fagel is a medical malpractice lawyer and a licensed medical doctor, so he understands exactly what it takes to pursue and win a case involving a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis of cancer.
Cancer is not a single disease; it's a multitude of different types of problems involving different organ systems, so there is different statistics for different types of cancers. When it comes to some types of cancers, such as certain types of brain cancers or pancreatic cancer, it almost doesn't make a lot of difference if there is a delay diagnosing them, because these types of cancers are difficult to treat no matter when they are detected. Other types of cancers, such as non-small cell, lung cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer, are effected by treatment time, because treatment delays do result in some differences in terms of the patient's outcome when there has been a significant delay. Regardless of the type of cancer or location of the cancer, the earlier the diagnosis is made, and the sooner treatment begins, the better the chances for survival.
Regarding medical malpractice cases, we have to look at every type of patient or claim where a patient has had some type of delay in diagnosis in cancer, as an individual case, because each case is different based on the types of different cancers, time frames, and a number of different types of factors. The law is also different for the statistics used for the types of cancer cases. Therefore, every cancer case has to be looked at individually and we can't make generalizations. But there are certainly a lot of patients who unnecessarily have a terminal prognosis given or die as a result in the delay of their diagnosis.
The following are examples of cancer misdiagnosis:
- Failure to investigate a patient's complaints to find out what is making them ill
- Failure to identify the type of cancer
- Failure to correctly identify a tumor or skin lesion as malignant
- Failure to send a patient to a specialist
- Failure to properly screen patients for lifestyle behaviors associated with cancers
- Failure to follow up with patients who do not respond to the treatment
If you believe you or someone you care about was not properly diagnosed for cancer or misdiagnosed, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice case. Contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney today. Dr. Bruce Fagel is a medical malpractice lawyer and a licensed medical doctor, so he understands exactly what it takes to pursue and win a case involving a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis of cancer.
