Cancer
Medical malpractice generally occurs when your doctor fails to follow acceptable and recognized methods for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer symptoms. The resulting delay in treatment can result in the unnecessessary progression of cancer that was otherwise preventable or at least treatable. Misdiagnosis of cancer by the misreading of tests, or ignoring test findings such as mammograms can constitute malpractice. The question in each case is whether the doctor's negligence caused a delay in treatment or worse, an unnecessary advancement in the stages of breast cancer.
The emotional and physiological impact on a patient who finds out too late they have terminal cancer is equally catastrophic.
The most commonly missed or misdiagnosed cancers are:
- Breast
- Cervical and ovarian
- Colon / rectal
- Hemopoietic (primarily lymphomas)
- Lung and thoracic
- Melanoma / skin cancer
- Prostate
Most types of cancer are curable if diagnosed early. In fact, many can be diagnosed early because they produce signs and symptoms that are easily recognizable to most well trained physicians. Of course, no cancer can be diagnosed early if the patient fails to see a doctor for regular checkups, especially if they have a family history of cancer or are in at risk age groups.