At the Law Offices of Judy Greenwood, P.C., we represent victims who have been injured as a result of medical malpractice, including the misdiagnosing of cancer or failing to diagnose cancer. We have access to and work with medical experts in cancer care, surgery, pathology, and radiology to determine if there was negligence or substandard care in your treatment.
Early diagnosis of cancer increases your chances of survival and cure. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, medical professionals misdiagnose your condition, delaying your treatment and affecting your chances for a good outcome.
Delaying diagnosis and proper treatment of the following list of cancers can affect the quality of your life and your survival. When a cancer diagnosis is missed the consequences can be deadly. Yet, thousands of cancer patients are misdiagnosed each year.
Our office and our experienced medical malpractice injury team has handled cases of misdiagnosis of cancer on behalf of clients who have been the victims of doctor mistakes, technician errors, or a doctor or hospital’s failure to report or communicate test results.
Breast cancer occurs when there is an abnormal growth of cell that can invade nearby tissue. There are four stages of breast cancer, each defined by the size of the tumor and its spread to the lymph nodes or to other structures. With each progressive stage the chance for cure and survival is reduced. Doctors and technicians can miss a cancer by misreading an x-ray or mammogram, by failing to perform an ultrasound or biopsy or by failing to appreciate the presence or significance of an irregularity or lump in the patient’s breast.
When the delay in the diagnosis of the breast cancer results in the cancer advancing to a later stage, the woman may require more aggressive treatments and be at risk for premature death. Where a doctor’s mistake or carelessness causes a delay in diagnosis and significant patient harm, the patient may have a claim for medical malpractice.
Approximately 20,000 women in the United States are diagnosed annually with ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer can be detected through pelvic examination, ultrasound, or through a
CA 125 blood test, as well as CT scans or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). A routine obstetrical evaluation may reveal findings consistent with this condition before specific symptoms are felt. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are constant and worsen, and may include abdominal pressure, fullness or bloating, urinary urgency, pelvic discomfort or pain.
A woman with ovarian cancer may have her serious condition overlooked and instead be misdiagnosed with cramps, belly pain or such routine disorders as irritable bowel syndrome, stress, or depression. Because there is no standardized screening test performed for this cancer, physicians may fail to pursue findings consistent with ovarian cancer delaying its diagnosis until the cancer has spread.
If you or someone you know has been the subject of a misdiagnosis of ovarian cancer or a delay in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and would like to have an experienced malpractice lawyer evaluate your situation, please
Approximately 20,000 women in the United States are diagnosed annually with ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer can be detected through pelvic examination, ultrasound, or through a
CA 125 blood test, as well as CT scans or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). A routine obstetrical evaluation may reveal findings consistent with this condition before specific symptoms are felt. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are constant and worsen, and may include abdominal pressure, fullness or bloating, urinary urgency, pelvic discomfort or pain.
A woman with ovarian cancer may have her serious condition overlooked and instead be misdiagnosed with cramps, belly pain or such routine disorders as irritable bowel syndrome, stress, or depression. Because there is no standardized screening test performed for this cancer, physicians may fail to pursue findings consistent with ovarian cancer delaying its diagnosis until the cancer has spread.
Stomach cancer is sometimes called gastric cancer and is a type of cancer that arises in the lining of the stomach. These cancers are classified according to the type of tissue where they come from and may be described as adenocarcinoma, lymphoma, or sarcoma. As with other cancers, early diagnosis affects one’s chance for cure. H. Pylori, a bacteria that is found in the lining of the stomach, has been linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer.
If you or someone you know has been the subject of a misdiagnosis of stomach cancer or a delay in the diagnosis of stomach cancer, and would like to have an experienced malpractice lawyer evaluate your situation, please
Colon cancer involves any part of the large intestine and, according to some sources, is said to be the second most common cancer diagnosis made. The symptoms of this disease may include sudden change in bowel habits or blood in the feces and diagnosis can be made by physical exam or laboratory exam of blood. A colonoscopy can be performed to examine tissues and biopsies taken of suspicious areas, to evaluate the presence or absence of this cancer, that if caught early, will result in a better outcome.
Colon cancer involves any part of the large intestine and, according to some sources, is said to be the second most common cancer diagnosis made. The symptoms of this disease may include sudden change in bowel habits or blood in the feces and diagnosis can be made by physical exam or laboratory exam of blood. A colonoscopy can be performed to examine tissues and biopsies taken of suspicious areas, to evaluate the presence or absence of this cancer, that if caught early, will result in a better outcome.
The American Cancer Society has estimated that almost 51,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year. Symptoms do not usually appear during the early phases of the disease. However, symptoms may include blood in the urine, unremitting back pain, weight loss, and fatigue. Types of kidney cancers include renal cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma and Wilm’s Tumor, which usually occurs in young children. Ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs and biopsies can be used to make the diagnosis.
A kidney patient’s prognosis worsens as the condition spreads. Surgery, embolization and cryoablation are among the treatment methods for these conditions. While the diagnosis may not be an easy one to make, a misdiagnosis or delay in the diagnosis of this condition by your physician in the face of complaints, can be the basis of a legal claim.
Cancers that originate in the tissues of the lung are perhaps the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. These cancers are sometimes classified according to the type of cell involved and include small cell carcinomas, squamous cell or epidermoid carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and large cell carcinomas. Coughing, shortness of breath, hoarseness, blood in the sputum and pain are all symptoms associated with this cancer. As with other cancers, long delays in diagnosing this condition because of a failure to perform the appropriate evaluation and testing or the misreading of x-rays by the radiologist can all result in a misdiagnosis or a delay in the diagnosis of this very serious condition.
Lymphoma is the general term for cancers that develop in the lymphatic system which is part of the body’s immune defense system and helps fight diseases and infection. The most commonly known lymphoma is Hodgkin’s Disease and this condition is sometimes delineated by whether it is Hodgkin’s Disease or a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Treatments involve radiation and/or chemotherapy and more recently immunotherapies. As with the other cancers, the earlier the stage of the disease, the better the chance for a good outcome.
Spinal cord tumors are abnormal growth of tissue in or around the spinal cord area and the spinal column often found in young and middle age adults. Fortunately, only a small percentage of spinal cord tumors are in fact cancerous.
Common symptoms of these tumors, if they develop within the spinal cord, will include back pain, a sensation of cold in one’s extremities, loss of bowel control, loss of sensation in one’s legs, muscle weakness and muscle spasms. Following a neurological exam, imaging studies such as CT scans, MRI, PET scans, EEGs, spinal taps and biopsies are used to diagnose this condition. If the Imaging studies are misread, and tumors missed, the potential for serious harm, including paralysis, increases dramatically.
While not as common as many other types of cancer, there about 37,000 people a year who are diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Patients may feel a lump in their neck, change of their voice, some hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, pain, or swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Some different types of thyroid cancer include capillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer, analphylastic thyroid cancer and thyroid lymphoma. Surgery to remove the thyroid glands typically seek to preserve the parathyroid glands. Physician error can occur not only in the diagnosis but also in the surgical treatment of this condition.
American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
National Breast Cancer Coalition www.stopbreastcancer.org
Susan G. Komen Foundation www.komen.org
National Institute of Health www.cancer.gov
