Late Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis of Cancer

Cancers vary considerably and can affect almost any part of the body.  Thanks to advances in medicine, many cancers are now treatable. 

Nonetheless, treatment options rely heavily on the cancer being diagnosed early and accurately.  If there are delays in the diagnosis, the cancer may worsen, spread and become incurable.  Therefore, knowing that a diagnosis should have been made earlier will inevitably cause additional anxiety and suffering to a patient and their loved ones, on top of what is already a very frightening time for them.

When making a claim for compensation, following a delay in the diagnosis of cancer, consideration needs to be given to the type of cancer that has been diagnosed, what opportunities were missed that could have led to an earlier diagnosis, whether the cancer has progressed as a consequence and finally whether this has affected  the patient’s treatment options and chances of survival. 

In some cases a delay can be fatal.

Substantial compensation has been won in claims for medical negligence arising from the delayed diagnosis of:

• Melanoma (skin cancer)
• Lung cancer
• Bowel cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Breast cancer
• Lymphoma (cancer of the lymph)
• Carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma

During the course of investigating a claim it may become apparent that:

• A patient was not provided with routine check ups
• X-rays and scans were misinterpreted
• Tissue samples and smears were wrongly interpreted
• Blood tests were not carried out/ the results were not checked properly

If this is the case, then one of our caring team members  will talk you and your family through the options that are open to you. Call us for an initial consultation.