Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

How and Why Cancer is Misdiagnosed

Cancer can be overlooked or misdiagnosed in many ways including:

• Failure to perform a thorough and complete physical examination
• Failure to take a careful and detailed history
• Failure to adequately follow up or communicate with the patient
• Failure to recognize early warning signs and symptoms
• Failure to recommend or offer cancer screening
• Failure to recommend tests due to financial concerns
• Improper performance or interpretation of tests
• Failure to refer to appropriate specialists
• Communication errors between doctors and medical facilities

Treatment

Some types of cancer are particularly responsive to early treatment, meaning that failing to diagnose them in the early stages makes an even greater difference. Cancers which are responsive to early treatment include:

• Breast Cancer
• Cervical, Ovarian or Uterine Cancer
• Colon Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Skin Cancer and Melanoma
• Testicular Cancer
• Kidney or Renal Cancer
• Lung Cancer

Types of Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

The effects of a misdiagnosis of cancer (or a delay in diagnosis) can be extremely serious and sometimes fatal.

There are many different forms of cancer, but common types that are misdiagnosed include:

• Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis
• Cervical Cancer Misdiagnosis
• Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis
• Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis
• Testicular Cancer
• Bladder Cancer Misdiagnosis

Effects Of Misdiagnosis

If you suffer from cancer, early diagnosis is vital to give you the best chance of survival.

When initial signs or symptoms are missed, the opportunity for early treatment can be lost, and you may be denied the best chance of returning to health.

Sometimes a late diagnosis can lead to you having to undergo a more severe form of treatment than might have initially been the case or it can lead to a worsening of the prospects of the treatment succeeding.  In some cases it can even be fatal.

Injuries Caused by the Failure to Diagnose Cancer

In most types of cancer, early diagnosis is the key to survival, since over time cancer cells multiply and can eventually spread to different parts of the body

Delayed cancer treatment also often means more invasive and aggressive treatment, increasing the chance of death or severe damage being caused as a side effect or complication of the treatment.

Types of harm caused by delayed damage of cancer can include:

• Inoperable cancer
• Early death
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Severe physical pain
• Treatment which is more invasive, aggressive, and painful
• Significantly increased recovery time
• Loss of limbs or organs
• Long-term or permanent disability
• Lost wages

Breast Cancer

Early diagnosis of breast cancer dramatically increases the likelihood of a cure.

Breast cancer is often first suspected when a lump is felt or when a mammogram shows an abnormality. Most of the time, these suspicious areas do not turn out to be cancer, but follow-up testing is needed.

In some cases, cancer can be ruled out with additional mammograms or other imaging techniques, but a biopsy may be necessary. A needle biopsy involves the removal of tissue or cell samples from the breast with a needle. A surgical biopsy involves the removal of tissue samples from the breast with a surgical incision.

If a biopsy finds cancer, additional tests will be performed on the tissue that was removed and the lymph nodes will be sampled. These tests help determine a woman’s chances for recovery.

Two major factors in determining a woman’s prognosis will be the size of the tumour when it was diagnosed, and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.

Delay in diagnosing breast cancer leads to a greatly increased risk that the tumour will be larger and that the cancer will have spread to other parts of the body. This significantly increases the risk of premature death, and typically requires aggressive and potentially harmful treatments including radiation and chemotherapy, and invasive, disfiguring surgery.

 

Mistakes and errors that can cause a delay in diagnosing breast cancer include:

• Improper reading or reporting of mammograms
• Failure to perform an adequate breast examination
• Failure to adequately investigate suspicious findings
• Failure to refer to a consultant when indicated
• Failure to properly follow up on mammogram findings
• Failure to coordinate or communicate with other medical practitioners

Injuries Caused by the Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer

The consequences of a delay in diagnosis of breast cancer can include:

• Severe pain
• Loss of breast and lymph nodes, or other organs
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Treatment which is more invasive, aggressive, and painful
• Significantly increased recovery time
• Long-term or permanent disability
• death

Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is largely preventable. Early pre-cancerous changes (dysplasia) can usually be detected by regular pap smears obtained during routine pelvic examinations. When caught and treated early, treatment is minimally invasive and usually successful.

Errors can be made in the interpretation of pap smears which allow the cancer to progress to the point that aggressive and invasive treatments are necessary.

When pre-cancerous cells are detected, they can be removed through a simple, minimally invasive procedure called a cone biopsy. If allowed to progress too long a hysterectomy may be required. Later stages of cancer can mean aggressive and potentially harmful treatments including radiation and chemotherapy, and invasive, disfiguring surgery.

Failure to diagnose cervical cancer, along with ovarian and uterine cancers, can also be caused by doctors overlooking symptoms such as:

• Vaginal odor
• Unusual vaginal discharge (with or without blood)
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Bladder symptoms
• Blood in urine
• Bowel symptoms
• Blood in stool
• Pelvic pain
• Painful during sex

Common errors include:

• Failure to take a careful and detailed history
• Failure to perform a thorough and complete physical examination
• Failure to recognize early warning signs and symptoms
• Failure to adequately follow up or communicate with the patient
• Failure to refer to appropriate specialists
• Improper performance or interpretation of pap smears or laboratory testing
• Communication errors between doctors and medical facilities

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine (colon), which is the lowest part of the digestive system.

Rectal cancer is cancer of the last six inches of the colon. Together, they are referred to as colorectal cancers.

The vast majority of colorectal cancers grow slowly over a period of several years, typically beginning as small benign growths called polyps. Removing a polyp early, before it becomes malignant, prevents the polyp from developing into colorectal cancer.

Colonoscopy allows colorectal cancer to be diagnosed at an early stage, before it has spread to other parts of the body. This is often vital in determining whether the cancer is fatal.

Screening and testing for Colorectal Cancer

The primary method of screening or testing for colorectal cancer is colonoscopy. In a colonoscopy, a thin tube with a light on the end is inserted in the rectum while the patient is sedated. When properly performed, this procedure allows the doctor to see the entire colon and rectum. Any polyps or growths that are seen can be removed during the procedure and sent for testing. Other ways to investigate the possibility of colorectal cancer include stool blood testing, barium enema, and flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer

In some cases, colorectal cancer can be present without producing any symptoms.

When symptoms do occur, they may include:

• Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool
• Change in bowel habits (diarrhoea, constipation or narrowing of the stool)
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Feeling like the bowel does not empty completely
• Weakness or fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss

Medical mistakes and errors that can cause a delay in diagnosing colorectal cancer include:

• Failure to offer or recommend routine colon cancer screening
• Failure to obtain family history of colon cancer
• Failure to offer or recommend early colon cancer screening for men and women at increased risk
• Failure to arrange blood stool testing
• Failure to offer or recommend colonoscopy in the presence of symptoms such as rectal bleeding
• Failing to investigate low red blood cell counts (anaemia)
• Failure to refer to a Gastroenterologist in a timely manner
• Failure to properly perform a colonoscopy
• Failing to identify and remove a polyp or lesion at colonoscopy
• Failing to visualize the entire colon during colonoscopy
• Failure to properly follow up on results of colonoscopy
• Mistakes in the interpretation of tissue samples
• Failure to coordinate or communicate with other medical care providers

Delayed diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer lead to the need for surgery to remove the colon and use of a colostomy bag. Delay may also lead to more aggressive treatment, including the possibility of radical surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Sometimes the delay can lead to death.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer usually responds well to early treatment.

Two simple tests are used to screen for prostate cancer, and they can be performed at any GP’ surgery. These are:

• Prostate-specific antigen blood test (PSA)
• Digital rectal exam (DRE)

The PSA test measures for a protein in the blood which is usually increased if there is a prostate problem, including cancer. Since this protein is not always increased when cancer is present, the DRE test is also necessary. DRE involves your doctor inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to manually check the prostate for any irregularities in size, shape, and texture.

Most men do not experience any symptoms in the very early stages of prostate cancer some may experience:

• Frequent urination (especially at night)
• Weak or interrupted urination
• Difficulty starting urination
• Holding back urine
• Pain or burning during urination
• Frequent pain and/or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs
• Erectile dysfunction
• Blood in urine or semen
• Painful ejaculation

Common mistakes that can cause a delay in diagnosing prostate cancer include:

• Failure to offer or recommend routine prostate cancer screening
• Failure to offer or recommend early prostate cancer screening for men at increased risk
• Failure to order PSA testing
• Failure to perform DRE (digital rectal examination)
• Failure to adequately investigate suspicious findings
• Failure to properly follow up on PSA test results
• Failure to coordinate or communicate with other medical care providers

Early diagnosis is life saving and can also allow surgery to prevent sexual dysfunction and preserving quality of life. Misdiagnosis or delayed treatment can lead to much more aggressive treatment, including much more radical surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and can result in death.

Skin Cancer

Skin cancer can be melanoma or non-melanoma. Non-melanoma skin cancer can be either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

Skin cancer mainly occurs on areas of the skin that have been exposed to the sun.

The vast majority of skin cancers are treatable if caught at an early stage. Treatments for skin cancer include removal of the cancerous growth either by excision methods or through surgery.

With non-melanoma forms of cancer, treatment can also include radiotherapy and chemotherapy delivered either topically to the area or through the traditional form.

Treatment for melanoma cancer may be treated with interferon but the use of radiation or chemotherapy is not usually able to cure the cancer and is for the purpose of delaying the growth or spread of the cancer.

Those patients who have had skin cancer are at risk for the cancer to reoccur.

Symptoms of Skin Cancer

In some cases, skin cancer can be present without any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they may include:

• Changes to existing moles
• A new growth on the skin, either a mole or a pale bump
• A raised red bump
• A scaly, irritated patch of skin with a reddish hue
• Bleeding of moles or raised areas on the skin

Medical mistakes that can cause a delay in diagnosing skin cancer include:

• Failure to offer or recommend a biopsy or other tests when growths are removed
• Failure to obtain family history of skin cancer
• Failure to refer a patient to a Dermatologist or an Oncologist in a timely manner
• Failure to properly diagnose the type of skin cancer
• Failing to identify and remove a possibly cancerous growth
• Failure to properly follow up on the results of a biopsy
• Mistakes in the pathological interpretation of tissue samples
• Failure to coordinate or communicate with other medical care providers

Misdiagnosis or delayed treatment can lead to the need for surgery to remove the growth and surrounding tissue. In addition, delay can mean more aggressive treatment, including the possibility of more radical surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Sometimes the cancer will spread to other parts of the body and lead to death.