Rhode Island Medical Malpractice Lawyer | Failure to Diagnose Cancer

Failing to diagnose a patient’s disease is one of the most common form of medical malpractice claims for compensation filed against doctors, hospitals and other health care providers. Any misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis or failure to diagnose the condition altogether can have serious ramifications that alters the patient’s life. The extreme effects of a serious case of cancer that could have been prevented or treated could be a death sentence to the patient that could have been prevented. A delayed or missed diagnosis by a medical doctor (MD) leading to serious injury and pain and suffering should be reported to a RI medical malpractice lawyer.

Rhode Island medical malpractice lawyer

However, to receive financial compensation for medical malpractice in RI and MA, the victim must prove how the health care professional or facility was negligent and that negligence led to the victim’s damages. Because of that, many patients claiming their doctor failed to diagnose their cancer will hire Rhode island medical malpractice personal injury lawyers who specialize in medical malpractice cases in Providence Superior Court.

Early Detection of Cancer Is Crucial

With today’s advances in medical diagnostic equipment, physicians have access to screening tests, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment, CT scans, Pap smears, mammograms and other tools to detect cancer. Flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy equipment can be utilized to detect rectum and colon cancers. Many times, any misdiagnosis, delays in the diagnosis or failure to diagnose the disease provides additional time to allow it to develop to a life-threatening stage. Detecting a cancer can be missed if the early detection test performed on the patient was improperly administered or not ordered at all due to cost considerations.

Failure to diagnose cancer

In other cases, mammograms, Pap smears or other tests are misread or misinterpreted by radiologists. Other times, the doctor does not recognize obvious signs and common symptoms of some types of cancers like an enlargement of lymph nodes, an unexplained excessive weight loss, a misread biopsy or a biopsy that was not properly sampled from the suspicious cancerous area. Without proper treatment, the cancer can easily spread to other areas of the body causing the malignant problems that could be impossible to cure.

Determining Medical Negligence in Rhode island and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

A RI medical malpractice  lawyer/  Boston surgical malpractice attorney  or Providence medical malpractice lawyers working on behalf of their client can conduct exhaustive investigations and build a solid case for compensation by retaining highly qualified experts to present evidence at trial. In many times, the professional expert can prove how the doctor failed to diagnose the patient’s cancer or show that a misread mammogram, x-ray or MRI led to the failure to diagnose.

The most common forms of cancer that are often misdiagnosed by Medical Doctors or Surgeons or not diagnosed include:

• Colon cancer
• Lung cancer
• Rectal cancer
• Skin cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Cancer of the uterus
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma

Staging Cancers

Every doctor has multiple chances to accurately diagnose nearly every type of cancer that invades the body. In its early stages (Stage I), the cancer is in its early formation where an early detection of the condition might easily be treated leading to a full cure of the disease. However, if allowed to enter the next stage (Stage II), more intense diagnosis and treatment might be required to achieve a successful outcome for the patient.

By Stage III, the level of cancer in the body has grown to dangerous levels where surgery, excision of the site or other radical procedure might be required to treat the condition. By Stage IV, the cancer has likely reached a malignant level and spread to other parts of the body.

“Failure to diagnose cancer is a legal term used to describe an incident where a medical professional fails to identify and treat cancer in a patient. Failure to diagnose typically indicates that the patient exhibited visible cancer signs and symptoms, and therefore a cancer diagnosis should have been made. For many patients, failure to diagnose has devastating outcomes. Generally, successful cancer elimination depends on early diagnosis and treatment. When failure to diagnose cancer occurs, the patient often misses a critical timeframe during which treatment is most effective. Patients who experience harm from failure to diagnose may be able to recover compensation through a cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit.”  Cancer Misdiagnosis Guide, Paul and Perkins PA:

Medical malpractice in the context of a failure to diagnose cancer occurs when a healthcare provider, such as a doctor, nurse, or radiologist, fails to properly identify and diagnose cancer in a patient when they should have reasonably done so. This failure can have serious consequences for the patient, as the timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer can significantly impact the prognosis and overall outcome.

Here are some key points to understand about medical malpractice related to the failure to diagnose cancer:

1. Standard of Care: Healthcare providers are expected to adhere to a standard of care when diagnosing and treating patients. This standard includes conducting appropriate tests, reviewing medical history, and taking into account risk factors.
2. Duty of Care: Healthcare providers owe their patients a duty of care, which means they have a responsibility to provide competent and timely medical care. This includes conducting thorough examinations and ordering the necessary tests to detect cancer when indicated.
3. Elements of Malpractice: To establish medical malpractice in a failure to diagnose cancer case, the following elements generally need to be proven:
   • The existence of a doctor-patient relationship.
   • A breach of the standard of care, meaning that the healthcare provider’s actions or inactions fell below the accepted medical standards.
   • Causation, meaning that the failure to diagnose cancer directly led to harm or injury to the patient.
   • Damages, which can include physical, emotional, and financial harm suffered by the patient.
4. Delayed Diagnosis: In cancer cases, a delayed diagnosis can allow the disease to progress, potentially leading to a poorer prognosis and more aggressive treatments. In some cases, a delay can result in a cancer becoming untreatable or terminal.
5. Types of Cancer Often Involved: Failure to diagnose cancer can occur with various types of cancer, including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and many others.
6. Legal Remedies: Patients who believe they have been victims of medical malpractice due to a failure to diagnose cancer may seek legal remedies, which can include compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.
7. Expert Witnesses: Medical malpractice cases often require expert witnesses, such as oncologists or radiologists, to testify about the standard of care, causation, and the impact of the failure to diagnose.

It’s important to consult with a qualified medical malpractice attorney if you believe you have been a victim of a failure to diagnose cancer. They can help you evaluate your case, gather necessary evidence, and guide you through the legal process if you decide to pursue a lawsuit. Keep in mind that medical malpractice laws can vary by jurisdiction, so consulting with an attorney experienced in your area is essential.

Hiring a Rhode Island medical malpractice Attorney 

If your doctor failed to adequately diagnose, delayed the diagnosis or did not test to diagnose an existing cancer, you might likely be able to hold them financially accountable for their negligence. A skilled  RI medical malpractice lawyer or failure to diagnose cancer personal injury lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice can file a claim for compensation or lawsuit on your behalf.

Legal Notice per Rules of Professional Responsibility: 

The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers and attorneys in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer / attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type are referred to other attorneys for principle responsibility.