“You have cancer.” These are three of the scariest words you can hear from your doctor. Sometimes, however, those words turn out not to be true. This can not only cause devastating emotional and psychological trauma, it can lead to unnecessary and possibly harmful courses of treatment. A misdiagnosis of cancer symptoms can also lead a physician to conclude that cancer is not present when it in fact is, allowing the cancer to remain undetected and grow untreated, often to the point where the chances of survival are minimal.
The cancer misdiagnosis lawyers at LawMD help families who are living with the consequences of medical negligence or who have lost a loved one as a result of such a medical error. Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers works tirelessly to help victims of medical negligence get compensation for their losses and get through one of the most difficult challenges they will ever face.
Misdiagnosis results in thousands of adverse health issues and deaths every year. According to a 2014 study published in the medical journal BMJ Quality & Safety, approximately 12 million American adults are misdiagnosed each year, amounting to 1 of every 20 adult patients. In about half of those cases, the study found, the wrong diagnosis had the potential to result in severe harm to the patient.
Diagnosing many conditions can be difficult, cancer in particular. But if doctors, oncologists, radiologists, and other health care professionals are negligent in making their determinations as to a patient’s condition and make an incorrect cancer diagnosis, it can be the basis of a medical malpractice claim. In fact, one study concluded that misdiagnoses are the leading cause of medical malpractice payouts, totaling nearly $39 billion over the past 25 years. Cancer misdiagnoses were some of the most common, along with incorrect diagnoses of infections, pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and cardiovascular disease.
A study at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore examined tissue samples from 6,000 cancer patients across the country and found that one out of every 71 cases was misdiagnosed and up to one out of five cancer cases was misclassified. It is estimated that an astounding 1.3 million people are misdiagnosed with cancer every single year.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that some of the most common reasons for misdiagnosis include:
As noted, a misdiagnosis can lead to further damage and devastate whole families. Such a mistake can delay or prevent a patient from getting the care and treatment they need. When doctors fail to follow the appropriate standard of care in examining, testing, and diagnosing a patient’s condition, a patient who suffers as a result may have a medical malpractice claim.
At LawMD, our experienced cancer misdiagnosis lawyers have seen firsthand the tragedy that can follow a cancer misdiagnosis. We fight tirelessly on behalf of individuals and families who have been victimized by physician negligence, using our experience, skill, and tenacity to help get our clients the compensation they need and deserve.
Because many of our attorneys are also physicians, we have a rich combination of knowledge and experience that allows us to promptly determine what happened and whether your physicians and health care providers failed to meet the standard of care. If we determine that you or a loved one have been a victim of medical malpractice, we aggressively pursue compensation that can help pay for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, loss of relationship, and funeral expenses.
WE UNDERSTAND YOUR INJURIES, BECAUSE WE’VE LIKELY TREATED THEM.
Most of our physician-attorneys are either current or past treating doctors in, collectively, a wide range of medical specialties. There is a good chance one or more of our physician attorneys have actually treated medical conditions similar to the ones from which you or your loved one now suffers. That translates into care and understanding as your Counselors, and know-how as your Advocates.
TIME- AND COST-SAVINGS FOR YOUR CASE
Any honest medical malpractice attorney will tell you that one of the greatest expenses in a medical malpractice case is having to pay physician experts to study the details of the medical issues in your case and, if necessary, provide testimony at deposition and trial. While even our physician attorneys may also need to hire outside medical experts for your case, our medical know-how allows us to perform a significant amount of the medical analysis necessary for your case in-house which may translate into significant savings at the conclusion of your case.
RAPID RESPONSE WITH SOLID ANSWERS TO YOUR SERIOUS QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR CASE
Because we have in-house medical know-how, we can evaluate the medical questions in your case and provide answers without a lengthy wait. Our internal process involves getting the issues in your case quickly in front of the right physician attorney who, based on his or her medical experience and training, is most likely to have the answers you seek about whether you have a case and how we might help you get the compensation you deserve to help secure a brighter future for you and for your loved ones.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Copyright © 2021 LawMD, Chartered. All Rights Reserved. Web Design by McCully Media Group.