Study shows failure to diagnose cancer can have profound consequences on patients
If a doctor, hospital or health care provider fails to identify medical conditions or treat a patient in his or her care, medical malpractice occurs. This is especially true for failure to diagnose cancer, including the failure to diagnose breast cancer and all other forms of cancer.
In Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, the “Failure to Diagnose” means that a physician failed to identify a patient’s current medical condition. The failure to diagnose is most common for conditions which are asymptomatic or present only mildly noticeable symptoms, such as heart attack, appendicitis, lung cancer, breast cancer, or colon cancer. Failure to diagnose means that a reasonable and prudent physician from the same or a similar community would have diagnosed the patient properly under similar conditions.
The problem with failure to diagnose in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas is that the patient is subjected to risks by the failure to diagnose. These risks include the effect on the patient’s prognosis. When cancer goes untreated it requires more aggressive and invasive forms of treatment. When this happens, health care providers may become liable for these medical expenses
As an example only, in the case of any type of cancer, early diagnosis is the best ticket to hope. During Stage I, for example, breast cancer may be beat through a simple lumpectomy. Failure to diagnose cancer at an early stage may mean that the cancer is given the opportunity to metastasize, spread and grow. Delayed diagnosis may bring about devastating consequences that should have been unnecessary had the medical malpractice not occurred.
During Stage II, III or IV, treatment options are fewer and more radical. Removal of a breast, radiation, chemotherapy and aggressive surgeries to parts of the body affected by the cancer may lie in store for a cancer patient whose condition was not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.
If you have had misdiagnosed cancer, please consult a Tennessean medical malpractice attorney.
Attorneys Tim Edwards and Ed Wallis practice medical malpractice law in Memphis, Tennessee and throughout the Mid South area, including Eastern Arkansas, Northern Mississippi and West Tennessee. Mr. Edwards and Mr. Wallis are prepared to discuss the facts of your case and try and determine if there is a way to help you.
Medical malpractice is a complex area of the law, and you should immediately contact an attorney willing to provide detailed and thorough review of your case for you. Do not be fooled by the gimics of a quick check from a television ad; for a medical malpractice case, you need a serious attorney who will work seriously on your behalf.
For immediate help:
CALL: (901) 527-2125
AFTER HOURS: (901) 275-0600
EMAIL: Tim or Ed by clicking here.
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