Being diagnosed with cancer is devastating for you and your family. However, this trauma can be escalated if your cancer was misdiagnosed or diagnosed later than it should have been.
There are over 200 cancer types, so misdiagnosis can sometimes occur. Many cancers share similar symptoms with other illnesses and, as a result, doctors and medical professionals can sometimes make an incorrect diagnosis.
When another disease is misdiagnosed as cancer, the patient may suffer unnecessary painful and emotionally tolling cancer treatment. Additionally, the undiagnosed disease may be left to progress and cause additional health complications.
If you believe medical negligence has resulted in cancer misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, you could be entitled to claim compensation.
The Facts
According to a report by All.Can cancer initiative, four out of ten people with cancer in the UK are misdiagnosed at least once before their disease is identified and warns that one in five (21 per cent) of UK patients surveyed said they waited more than six months to get the correct diagnosis.
Last year, Cancer Research UK reported that 22 per cent of the 356,000 people diagnosed with cancer each year was only picked up at A&E.
71 per cent of these cases had visited their GP at least once with symptoms linked to their cancer, meaning that chances to catch the disease early and minimise its spread had been missed.
What Are The Most Common Cancer Compensation Claims?
Due to the widely misunderstood nature of cancer, cancer misdiagnosis is among the most common type of medical misdiagnosis.
Some of the most common cancers thought to be misdiagnosed due to their symptoms being linked to another illness include:
1. Lung cancer
Lung cancer isn’t as easy to diagnose as you think. It’s quite often that symptoms can resemble, for example, lung abscess or bronchia pneumonia, which can delay proper treatment. For example, most common symptoms are a persistent cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
2. Lymphoma
This type of cancer can come in the form of having consistently swollen lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, or unexplainable weight loss. Your swollen lymph nodes may be easily misdiagnosed as something less dangerous like the flu, again delaying the correct treatment.
3. Breast cancer
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers found in women. Warning signs include irritation of the breast skin, breast lumps, any changes in size or shape, or any irregularities of the nipple region. With so many women being diagnosed with breast cancer, it can often easily be mistaken with other conditions such as non-cancerous cysts or fibrocystic breast disease.
4. Pancreatic cancer
This is another popular misdiagnosis, as symptoms can be compared to irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones and pancreatitis.
Case Study: Delayed Diagnosis
D v Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust
A claim arose out of a negligent delay in the diagnosis of terminal renal cancer which could otherwise have been avoided. Damages were awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, in addition to a significant award for future end of life care and adaptations.
The claim was settled for £330,000.00.
How To Make A Claim For Cancer Misdiagnosis
Whether you received NHS or private treatment and received a misdiagnosis or delayed cancer diagnosis, you should be able to claim for medical negligence.
There are two main types of cancer misdiagnosis you can claim for:
- Undiagnosed – when a medical professional or doctor fails to detect cancer.
- Incorrect – when you receive treatment for the wrong illness after a doctor or medical professional misreads the signs of cancer.
The amount of compensation you get varies depending on the case and is based on the following factors:
- Financial losses you experience due to the misdiagnosis.
- The severity of the consequences from the misdiagnosis.
- How long cancer went undiagnosed.
The experts here at Howells are ready to help support you every step of the way with your cancer misdiagnosis claim. See how we can help get the compensation you deserve by contacting us today.
