According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed and 585,700 deaths from cancer in the United States in the year 2014. Cancer continues to be our country’s second leading cause of death, trailing behind heart disease. With many types of cancer cases, a proper diagnosis made early can mean the difference between life and death. Cancers that may have, at one time, been treatable may then become much more difficult to treat, or worse, become untreatable at all. Contact our Miami failure to diagnose cancer lawyers for more information.
Yet, according to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the rate for misdiagnosis of cancer may be as high as 28 percent, with some types of cancer reaching misdiagnosis rates of 44 percent. The fact that a patient has cancer certainly is not the fault of any healthcare professional. In some cases, however, the progression of the cancer may indeed be due to negligent medical care.
Failure to perform the proper tests (or delay in performing them) may allow the cancer to spread, inevitably making treatment more challenging. Other acts that may be considered negligence include:
- Failure to refer a patient to an oncologist or other specialist
- Incorrect interpretation of test results
- Failure to recognize a malignant tumor
- Improper administration of diagnostic test
Sometimes the negligence may come from an incorrect diagnosis of cancer, where a patient has been diagnosed with cancer when, in reality, he or she does not have cancer at all. The effects of a “false” diagnosis of cancer may sometimes be just as damaging as a genuine cancer diagnosis. Patients with these “false cancer” diagnoses sometimes undergo chemo therapy treatment they do not need and, in the worst cases, even have organs removed.
Early Detection of Cancer is Critical
A common attribute of many cancers is the importance of early detection. It is well-documented that prognosis is usually brighter when cancer is discovered earlier, when it is still localized, rather than later, when it has begun to spread to a different part of the body. If the cancer is still localized, there may be a good chance that surgery can remove the entire cancer from the body. But a delay in diagnosis, even a few months, can have a significant effect on a patient’s treatment. In fact, patients who succeed in their failure to diagnose cancer lawsuits often are entitled to recover damages based in part on the medical expenses they will incur for expensive drugs and medical treatments that could have been avoided with proper and timely diagnosis.
You May Be Entitled to Compensation
The failure to diagnose lawyers at Pita Weber Del Prado have the experience, knowledge, and skill to investigate and litigate medical malpractice claims on behalf of clients and their families in the Miami area. If you or a loved one has been incorrectly diagnosed with cancer or correctly diagnosed but believe the diagnosis was delayed, it is important to contact an experienced malpractice lawyer as soon as possible. Call us today at 305-670-2889 for a free initial consultation.
