Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
New York Cancer Misdiagnosis Attorney
A cancer misdiagnosis can be one of the most traumatic events that a person can experience. A missed, wrong or delayed diagnosis of cancer can tear families apart and result in significant harm. In some cases of cancer misdiagnosis, the patient’s cancer is undiagnosed and therefore remains untreated. This can result in a crucial window of time being missed when the cancer treatment may have been most effective in treating the patient. Tragically, sometimes the consequences of a cancer misdiagnosis can be deadly.
On the other side of the cancer misdiagnosis spectrum, a cancer misdiagnosis can also mean that a patient who does not have cancer may be given a wrong diagnosis of cancer and may undergo extensive, harmful cancer treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy. Patients and their families who have been misdiagnosed may be eligible to file a cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit against the doctors and medical staff who did not provide you with adequate care.
How Can Cancer Be Misdiagnosed?
While misdiagnosing cancer can occur in various ways, the failure to diagnose cancer or diagnosing cancer incorrectly are the most common. A misdiagnosis can also occur if a doctor does not accurately diagnose what type of cancer you have, its progression or where it is. Whatever type of misdiagnosis has occurred, all are equally life-threatening and put patients at risk.
How Cancer Is Misdiagnosed
When a patient sees a doctor with a physical complaint or symptoms, it is the doctor’s responsibility to listen, ask questions, look for potential causes, do a thorough physical exam, recognize potential symptoms and order proper testing and follow up. Cancer can be missed or misdiagnosed in a number of ways, including:
• Failure to perform a thorough physical examination
• Overlooking patient complaints and reported symptoms
• Failure to communicate adequately with the patient and take a complete medical history
• Failure to recognize symptoms and early warning signs
• Failure to recognize symptoms, including tumors upon physical examination
• Failure to properly perform a biopsy
• Diagnosing a cancerous (malignant) tumor as a non-cancerous (benign) tumor
• Diagnosing a benign tumor as a malignant tumor
• Failure to order correct tests
• Failure to properly interpret test results, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, or other diagnostic reports
• Mishandling of laboratory specimens, such as blood and urine samples or tissue biopsies
• Mixing up or losing patients’ lab or test results
• Failure to follow up with the patient about test results
• Miscommunication between medical care providers
• Neglecting to refer the patient elsewhere based on results
Why Is Early Treatment Critical?
Certain cancers are especially responsive to early treatment, and the failure to diagnose them in the early stages makes an even greater difference in a patient’s treatment options and outcome. Early detection can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. Some types of cancer that are most responsive to early treatment include:
• Breast Cancer
• Cervical, Ovarian and Uterine Cancer
• Colon Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Skin Cancer and Melanoma
• Lung Cancer
• Testicular Cancer
• Kidney or Renal Cancer
How Often Is Cancer Misdiagnosed?
The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that the rate of cancer misdiagnosis in the U.S. to be between 10-20%. However, the Journal of Clinical Oncology more recently estimated that cancer misdiagnosis rates could be 28 percent or higher, and up to 44 percent for certain types of cancer. Anyone would agree that any of these numbers are too high.
Preventing Cancer Misdiagnosis
To help prevent cancer misdiagnosis, patients should always ask as many questions of their doctors as needed to understand their medical conditions, share all of their symptoms even if they seem small, don’t allow the doctor to ignore their symptoms, and keep track of medical records and information. When in doubt, always get a second opinion.
Cancer Misdiagnosis Medical Malpractice Attorney Serving The Five Boroughs And New Jersey
When patients believe that medical negligence was responsible for their cancer misdiagnosis, they should seek the help of an experienced cancer misdiagnosis lawyer. The cancer misdiagnosis lawyer can review the facts, research the medical information, file a cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit, and follow through with the legal process. At the Law Offices of David J. Hernandez & Associates, we zealously fight for our clients who have been victims of medical negligence and their families to receive the compensation they deserve. We handle cancer misdiagnosis and medical malpractice cases on a contingency basis, which means that you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Please contact our dedicated cancer misdiagnosis attorney for a free consultation and review of your case at 347-318-4935 or contact us online today.