Oregon Misdiagnosed Cancer Attorneys - Bend/Portland, OR

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and it inflicts immense suffering on millions of patients and their families.  Each year almost two million more new diagnoses of cancer will be made in the United States alone.  Patients and their families rely on healthcare providers for top care to fight this deadly disease.  This includes early and aggressive treatment which gives patients that best chances to overcome this deadly disease.  Unfortunately, our Oregon misdiagnosed cancer lawyers see first-hand what happens when patients are not given the care and treatment they deserve, and the care and treatment that patients are required to receive under Oregon law.

All too often are cancers misdiagnosed.  When a cancer is misdiagnosed, it delays early treatment.  This allows the disease to spread and become more difficult to treat, meaning it will also become deadlier.  Sometimes the cancer misdiagnosis is not discovered for over a year, such as between annual physicals with a primary care physician.  This could allow a treatable stage 1 or 2 cancer to develop into a devastating stage 3 or a deadly stage 4.  Any time a healthcare provider has misdiagnosed cancer, even if there has been a full recovery, patients and their families should call our Oregon misdiagnosed cancer lawyers to learn what rights they may have under Oregon law and how we can protect those rights.

Reasons for Misdiagnosed Cancer Cases

There are many different reasons why cancer is misdiagnosed.  Sometimes the misdiagnosis is made during the initial examination and evaluation of a patient with questionable symptoms.  Other times the misdiagnosis is made in reviewing test results.  Misdiagnoses could also be made by multiple physicians or due to communication errors.  In each and every event a patient that has cancer which is not timely treated could result in catastrophic results which are likely to cause wrongful death.

This is why patients can rely on physicians for their care and treatment, but should also be aware of the common causes of Oregon misdiagnosed cancer which are the following:

• Communication errors between specialists; 
• Failure to properly rule out cancer through tests;
• Ordering the wrong tests or delaying in ordering tests;
• Misinterpreting test results;
• Failing to diagnose the correct type of cancer;
• Misdiagnosing cancer as something else, particularly as GI disorders like UC, IBS, Krohn’s;
• Giving a patient a positive cancer result when the result is a false positive (meaning no cancer and the patient has to go through treatment);
• Improperly performing tests;
• Not listening to patient complaints; and
• Other common causes.

Types of Cancers that are Commonly Misdiagnosed 

There are many different types of cancer that could be misdiagnosed due to Oregon medical malpractice.  While any type of cancer could be misdiagnosed, these our the most common types that our Oregon misdiagnosed cancer lawyers are aware of:

• Breast cancer;
• Colo-rectal cancer;
• Cervical cancer;
• Prostate cancer;
• Melanoma or skin cancer;
• Ovarian cancer;
• Kidney cancer;
• Stomach cancer;
• Esophageal cancer; 
• Lung cancer (especial in a non-smoker); and
• Many other cancers.

False Positives in Cancer Treatment Can Be Oregon Misdiagnosed Cancer Cases

In addition to failing to treat cancer due to a misdiagnosis, other patients may go through the extreme horror have being misdiagnosed has having cancer when it was a false positive.  A false positive is when a test result comes back as a positive for cancer, but there is a reason why the test came out that way which makes the test false.  Tests have failsafes for this reason, and physicians are trained to solicit information from patients and examine the tests to know whether a false positive test could occur.

If a patient has falsely misdiagnosed with cancer when he or she does not have cancer, this could be a devastating error and subject a patient to catastrophic torture.  Patients may wrongly go through chemotherapy, radiation, have surgery, take months off of work or lose jobs, and may even result in additional damage such as organ damage, brain damage, or even cause new cancers that were not already there. 

Damages in Oregon Misdiagnosed Cancer Cases

Patients who are misdiagnosed with cancer may be entitled to compensation for their injuries.  This includes if the misdiagnosed cancer could hav been treated at an early stage which could have prevented a patient’s wrongful death.  Thus, patients may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, lost future earnings, medical bills, and family may be entitled to damages for a loved one’s wrongful death.  

Even if a patient makes a full recovery, the delay in cancer treatment could result in an increase risk of the cancer returning with a lower survivability rate.  This means patients who have had delays due to an Oregon misdiagnosed cancer may have a cause of action against a negligent healthcare provider, even if there are no obvious lasting effects.  

In addition, even if a patient is entirely cured, some of the treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation may have been unnecessary if the surgery was properly discovered and not misdiagnosed.  This means that patients may have undergone unnecessary procedures or excessive procedures which are also compensable under Oregon law.

Bend/Portland, Oregon Misdiagnosed Cancer Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.