Failure To Diagnose Cancer
Although a cancer diagnosis is always frightening, many types
of cancer can be treated successfully if caught in the early
stages. Failure to diagnose cancer or a delayed diagnosis of
cancer can significantly reduce your chance of survival, require
more aggressive and painful treatments, and often leads to preventable
early death. Victims of medical malpractice and their loved ones
may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury or
wrongful death lawsuit.
How Cancer Goes Undetected
Patients sometimes see a doctor specifically due to symptoms
of cancer, but most cancer is detected during routine check-ups
and tests that doctors now recommend at certain ages and when
certain risk factors are present to facilitate early detection.
Mistakes that lead to failure to diagnose cancer or a delayed
diagnosis of cancer include:
- Failure to respond to symptoms reported by patient
- Failure to recognize or respond to risk factors
- Failure to recognize or respond to early warning signs
- Failure to order or recommend tests due
to concerns about the patient’s ability to pay
- Improper blood and tissue sampling
- Improper reading of tests
- Failure to follow up with patient
Consequences of Failure to Diagnose Cancer
When cancer goes undiagnosed or diagnosis is delayed the consequences
can be devastating to victims and their families. The results
can include:
- More invasive treatment
- More aggressive treatment
- More expensive treatment
- Significantly more pain
- Scaring and disfigurement
- Unnecessary damage to overall health
- Long-term disability
- Loss of income
- Premature death
Failure to Diagnose Cancer and Delayed Diagnosis Can
Be Fatal
As cancer is allowed to progress and spread the ability to treat
it successfully diminishes. The cancer itself is allowed to do
damage and the treatments required become more dangerous and
damaging to the body. Once cancer has progressed beyond a certain
stage, some treatments are no longer useful at all. Failure to
diagnose cancer can be fatal in many ways:
- Risky, life-threatening surgery becomes the only treatment
option still available
- Only part of the cancer can be removed
- Chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments must be so aggressive
to have a chance of working that they become fatal
- Cancer can no longer be removed and treatments can only stop
or slow the progression temporarily
- Treatment is no longer an option at all
What You Need To Know:
Insurance companies' obligations are to their stockholders and
policy holders, not to the people injured by their insured's
negligence. Insurance companies' desire to maximize their own
profits provides them with every motivation to try to deny your
claim or pay you the very minimum amount that they can get away
with. The insurance companies also have enormous advantages:
they have immense wealth, armies of experienced adjusters and
lawyers and years of experience reducing and denying claims.
At the Law Office of Stephen A. Burroughs,
our only obligation is to you, our client. We will use our experience
and every resource available to protect your interests, and we
will work hard to help you receive the full value for your case.
We will advise you every step of the way to help you avoid any
mistakes that could cost you money. There is no charge for attorney's
fees until you recover money for your personal injuries, and
we will also help you resolve your property damage claims for
no fee whatsoever. For assistance, call today at 1-877-300-3773, contact
us or submit
an free online case evaluation.
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