Wrongful Death From Delayed Cancer Diagnosis
Doctors generally use a blood test, called the PSA test, to screen men with no symptoms for cancer of the prostate. Physicians generally agree that abnormal PSA levels trigger a need to inform the patient he may have cancer and to either refer the patient to a specialist or follow up with diagnostic testing to rule out prostate cancer. Yet, delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer cases occur all too frequently.
Consider the following reported cases. In the first reported case, a doctor waited two years after consecutive high PSA test results prior to telling the man that he may have cancer. By the time the man was diagnosed he already had advanced prostate cancer. The law firm that represented this man reported they were able to settle the matter for $600,000 on behalf of the patient. In the second reported case, a physician took 16 months, with 3 consecutive abnormally high PSA readings, before informing his patient, a 64 year old man. Before that the physician had actually told the male patient that the results were normal for a patient his age. The result: the cancer had already reached the man’s seminal vesicles. The law firm that handled this lawsuit was able to report a settlement of $1.5 million on the patient’s behalf.
As these two lawsuits indicate, if a physician does not follow up on an abnormal result from a cancer screening test and the patient’s cancer spreads during the delay caused by the doctor, a cancer lawyer can help you figure out whether that physician is liable for malpractice. In the worst case situation, a wrongful death attorney can assist the patient’s family determine whether they may have a claim for wrongful death. The above should not be considered medical or legal advice. You should always consult with a doctor before taking medical advice or making a medical decision. And always consult with an attorney concerning any potential legal matter.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 4:49 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.