Cancer Treatment & Misdiagnosis

One of the most frequent types of compensation claims seen by medical negligence solicitors in the United Kingdom is the failure to diagnose cancer.

Significant advances in medical knowledge have made it possible to effectively prevent or treat some types of this illness through early detection, which may dramatically improve quality of life, survival chances and life expectancy including:

• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Colon cancer
• Lung cancer

The usual key to successful treatment is early diagnosis and if a health care professional has failed through their negligence to diagnose the illness in a timely manner then compensation may be payable for the worsening of the illness. Many medical mistakes can lead to a delay in cancer diagnosis which may deprive patients of the chance for a cure. These include lost records, failing to realise the importance of a patient's complaints, treating a patient inappropriately, misreading x-rays, inaccurate test results or failing to refer a patient to a specialist.

Cancer treatment including chemotherapy and radiation is designed to kill living cells and the pain and financial hardship can be horrendous. Early diagnosis may mean less pain and suffering, less financial hardship and a greater chance of survival.

If you believe that your doctor has been negligent and you would like free advice on our Legal Aid and no win no fee claim service then just complete the contact form and a member of The Law Society panel of medical negligence experts will telephone you to discuss your claim.

UK Breast Cancer Compensation Claims

More than one in ten women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and early detection, through self examination and mammograms, is a key factor in successful treatment and higher survival rates. Cancer of the breast often responds well to early treatment; however sometimes even after a woman feels a lump, her cancer goes undetected for months, often due to medical negligence which results in more legal claims for cancer of the breast than any other disease. Often the victims of undetected cancer are younger women and doctors may rely too heavily on negative mammogram results, even if the woman has felt a lump. Younger women's breast tissue is denser and a mammogram may miss small tumours. In addition, doctors rely too heavily on a woman's age as a predicting factor, as breast cancer is more often associated with older women and doctors often do not to take younger women's complaints seriously.

Medical negligence by doctors in misdiagnosed breast cancer cases includes:

• Failing to perform a breast examination (during a physical or while treating patient for other reasons) which would have identified a clinically obvious tumour
• Failure to identify an obvious lump during breast examination
• Failure to arrange mammogram x-rays, ultrasound, CT scan or MRI scan
• Failure to properly evaluate biopsy or test results
• Mistaking a tumour for an infection or diagnosing the tumour as benign
• Failure to follow up on test results
• Failure to order a biopsy
• Failure to order future tests
• Failure to follow up with the patient
• Disregarding history of sharp pain in breast
• Failure to determine the cause of nipple discharge
• Failure to recognise common symptoms 

UK Cervical Cancer Compensation Claims

One of the most frequent types of compensation claim seen by medical negligence solicitors in the United Kingdom is the failure to diagnose cervical cancer. Significant advances in medical knowledge have made it possible to effectively prevent and treat this illness through early detection, and thereby minimise the effects. Many medical mistakes can lead to a delay in diagnosis which may deprive patients of the chance for a cure, and these include lost records, failing to realise the importance of a patient's complaints, treating a patient inappropriately, misreading pap smears, inaccurate test results or failing to refer a patient to a cancer specialist.

Cervical cancer is generally regarded by the medical profession as a largely preventable disease, due to the fact that pre-cancerous changes can usually be detected by pap smears obtained during routine pelvic examinations. Pap smears, however, must be carried out properly and interpreted by specialists. The following is an extract from a leading report on pap smears:

"... many women who are tested receive inaccurate results due to interpretative or reporting errors by cytopathology laboratories or specimen collection errors by clinicians. The failure of some physicians to provide adequate follow-up for abnormal pap smears is another source of delay in the management of cervical dysplasia..."

Early diagnosis as a result of pap smear screening could almost eliminate the chances of developing this invasive condition. One of the main causes of medical negligence is delay of diagnosis as a result of failure to perform appropriate screening tests by general practitioners or failure to take necessary steps when cancer of the cervix is suspected.

Mistakes made by doctors include:

• Failure to identify a cancerous mass in the cervix during a routine cervical examination; Failure to test when a patient exhibits indicative symptoms
• Failure to perform a pap smear
• Failure to have a biopsy performed when the physical examination results are abnormal
• Misinterpreting the pap smear or biopsy results
• Failure to react quickly to biopsy findings
• Failure to recommend appropriate treatment options

Cervical cancer screening involves testing for precancerous developments often in the absence of any symptoms, to find precancerous lesions. Detection and treatment of precancerous cervical lesions can prevent cancer of the cervix from occurring. If cancer of the cervix is detected in its early stages, survival rates are very high with rapid and appropriate treatment. Pap smears are tests performed during the pelvic examination by inserting a speculum into the vagina and a sample of living cells is removed from the cervix using a wooden or plastic spatula. A second sample of cells is then taken from the inner part of the cervix. These samples are then microscopically analyzed for the presence of cancerous or precancerous changes.

UK Ovarian Cancer Compensation Claims

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumour that begins in the ovaries. Cancerous cells can break away from the ovary and spread to other tissues and organs, including the peritoneum and the diaphragm, and can also enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system and form new tumours in other parts of the body. Approximately 1.5% of women will be diagnosed as suffering from this condition during their lifetime. The cause is unknown, however the following factors may increase the chance of developing this disease:

• First-degree relatives of a woman who has had cancer of the ovaries are at increased risk and the likelihood is especially high if two or more first-degree relatives have had the disease
• A family history of breast or colon cancer is also associated with increased risk
• The likelihood of developing cancer of the ovaries increases with age and occurs most often in women over the age of 50
• Women who have never had children are more likely to develop cancer of the ovaries than women who have had children, and the more children that a woman has had then the less is her risk
• Women who have had breast or colon cancer have a greater chance of developing cancer of the ovaries
• Fertility drugs may increase the risk
• Hormone replacement therapy may cause an increased risk

Ovarian cancer is hard to detect in its early stages and women often have no symptoms or mild symptoms until the disease is in an advanced stage. Signs and symptoms may include:

• Abdominal discomfort or pain
• Nausea, diarrhoea, constipation or frequent urination
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling bloated, even after a light meal
• Weight gain or loss
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding

Diagnosis usually involves physical examinations and tests including:

• Blood tests are used to measure chemicals in the system that indicate ovarian cancer
• Pelvic exam includes feeling the uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum to find any abnormality in their shape or size
• Ultrasound which creates a picture called a sonogram. Scans are used to take detailed pictures of areas inside the body and healthy tissues, cysts and tumours can be distinguished
• A biopsy, which is the removal of tissue for microscopic examination using laparoscopy techniques. If cancer is suspected at that time then the entire ovary is usually removed

UK Prostate Cancer Compensation Claims

UK Colon Cancer Compensation Claims

UK Lung Cancer Compensation Claims

If you would like to discuss a medical negligence claim relating to cancer misdiagnosis in confidence, please contact us for discreet and impartial advice.