NY Malpractice Attorney: Dangers Of Cancer Misdiagnosis

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that branch out and invade other living bodily tissue. There are over 100 types of cancer that affect our entire body. Some types include skin, blood, lung, breast, prostate, lymphoma and bone. The earlier that a cancer is detected the better the chance of stopping its progression. If doctors misdiagnose cancer there may be a case for medical malpractice.

Often cancer is first suspected when the patient or doctor finds a lump or abnormality of some sort in a part of the body. Other times it is discovered when being treated for another ailment. In order to diagnose the cancer, doctors must perform certain exams and procedures which include:

• Checking urine, stool and blood for abnormalities
• Ultrasounds and endoscopy exams to detect tumor size
• Examining with X-rays, MRI’s and CT’s
• Biopsy to examine microscopically for cancer cells

If cancer is misdiagnosed, it goes without treatment and can spread, causing serious health problems including death. Both may be cause for a medical malpractice case. There are several ways that a misdiagnosis of cancer can happen.

• Family history is not taken to discover if there is a past occurrence of cancer which can be often hereditary
• Necessary tests are not ordered
• Tests are ordered but not carried out properly
• Tests are misinterpreted

Conversely, healthy people can be misdiagnosed as having a type of cancer when they do not. They are then put through unnecessary strong treatments of radiation and chemotherapy which can be debilitating. Misdiagnoses may be a case for medical malpractice.

Contact us if you or a loved one has suffered or lost their life because of a cancer misdiagnosis and are in need of a NY medical malpractice attorney.