A failure to diagnose cancer may be a frequent reason for making a medical negligence claim for compensation but, with the range of medical tests available to aid a cancer diagnosis, a failure to diagnose cancer should only rarely occur. A failure to diagnose cancer can lead to the cancer progressing from stage 0 or 1 when it can be easily treated, to stage 3 or 4 when treatment becomes complicated and far less effective.
If you visited a doctor in time for a cancer to be effectively treated, and there was a failure to diagnose cancer in time for treatment to be effective, you should be eligible to make a cancer misdiagnosis claim for compensation. Even when a subsequent medical examination has revealed the presence of cancer, if the delay in treatment has caused you to suffer harm, a failure to diagnose cancer claim for compensation should still be possible.
Criteria for Making Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
Cancer misdiagnosis claims can be made providing that it can be proven ‘on the balance of probabilities’ that a cancer misdiagnosis error has been made by a doctor that was due to poor professional performance or incompetence. Most doctors are highly trained to be able to spot the signs of cancer, and should arrange for diagnostic tests to be completed when symptoms suggest that cancer may be present.
However, when the signs of cancer are present and no referral is arranged, or when further tests are not conducted or the results are misinterpreted, a cancer misdiagnosis claim for compensation can be made in Ireland.
Cancer can strike at any time, although a doctor may not suspect cancer in a patient who is under the age of 50 years old, even though the symptoms of cancer may be present. With younger patients, the symptoms of cancer are more likely to be diagnosed as another illness or condition, resulting in cancer being able to progress untreated. A doctor should take the family medical history into account when making a diagnosis, as well as give due consideration to environmental factors and a patient’s lifestyle. When a cancer misdiagnosis is made due to a failure by a doctor to consider these factors, it is highly likely that there will be grounds for making a cancer misdiagnosis claim for compensation.
Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims
A lung cancer misdiagnosis is usually due to the symptoms of cancer being masked by another lung condition such as asthma or bronchitis. Persistent lung infections and coughs should lead a doctor to consider the possibility of cancer, especially in smokers and people who are exposed to carcinogenic chemicals in the workplace. A doctor should perform tests such as checking for lymph node enlargement and other symptoms which could be indicative of a mass growing in the lungs. Further medical tests such as spirometry, sputum tests and even a lung biopsy may be required; as much to discount cancer as to make a positive cancer diagnosis. When such tests are not performed, and when a lung cancer misdiagnosis is made, the patient should be entitled to make a claim for compensation for a lung cancer misdiagnosis.
Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims
A breast cancer misdiagnosis is most likely to happen in young women, when their age leads a doctor to think that cancer is unlikely. Even the presence of a lump in the breast in a younger woman may be misdiagnosed as a cyst or blocked milk duct, even when other symptoms of breast cancer are present. Early onset breast cancer is often highly aggressive, and a breast cancer misdiagnosis can have dire consequences to the victim. If you believe that a doctor has made a breast cancer misdiagnosis, and that the cancer has deteriorated as a result of a delay in diagnosis, you should be eligible to make a breast cancer misdiagnosis claim for compensation and should seek legal advice about your eligibility to make a cancer misdiagnosis claim.
Colon Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims
A colon cancer misdiagnosis is highly serious, yet it is a form of cancer which is frequently misdiagnosed. A doctor may attribute bowel problems to irritable bowel syndrome or a bowel infection, without a colonoscopy, bowel tissue biopsy, or barium enema being arranged. If you have visited a doctor with the symptoms of colon cancer, and there has been a colon cancer misdiagnosis because colon cancer diagnostic tests were not arranged, you may be eligible to make a clam for compensation for the colon cancer misdiagnosis- provided that your health has suffered due to the delay in diagnosis of colon cancer.
Cervical Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims
The Health Safety Authority in Ireland is particularly attentive to the risks of cervical cancer and arranges routine screening for women to catch cervical cancer in its early stages. Even so, a cervical cancer misdiagnosis is not unusual in Ireland. Cervical cancer treatment is highly effective when administered early, yet as the cancer progresses it becomes harder to treat. If you have not been advised to have a regular cervical smear or have had the results of a smear test incorrectly interpreted, you should seek the advice of a medical negligence solicitor. A solicitor will help to determine whether a cervical cancer misdiagnoses could have been avoided and, if this is the case, you will be eligible to make a claim for compensation for a cervical cancer misdiagnosis.
Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Awards in Ireland
Awards for compensation for a cancer misdiagnosis are highly varied, and are impossible to accurately calculate without a thorough analysis of each claim. Cancer misdiagnosis compensation awards will depend on how long the cancer has been allowed to go untreated, how the cancer has progressed during that time, and how a cancer misdiagnosis has affected the victim’s quality of life. The value of a cancer misdiagnosis compensation claim will be largely influenced by the chances of a full recovery being made.
Free Legal Advice on Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
You will no doubt be upset, angry and even confused about a cancer misdiagnosis which has caused you or a loved one to come to harm. We understand that a cancer misdiagnosis can have serious consequences, and we want to help you to recover compensation to pay for the best possible medical care and treatment.
By calling our free cancer misdiagnosis claims helpline you will be able to get answers to your questions about the compensation claims process in Ireland and you will receive a free assessment of any cancer misdiagnosis claim. We will listen to your account of the circumstances which led to a cancer misdiagnosis, and will assess your eligibility to make a claim for compensation. We will also advise you of the strength of your claim and will give you important advice about what you must do next. We cannot change the past, but we can help to change your future by helping you to get your full entitlement to compensation from a cancer misdiagnosis claim.
Call us now on Freephone 1800 989 995 or request a call back by filling in the contact form below, and one of our team of experienced medical negligence solicitors.
