What to Do After a Cancer Misdiagnosis in Oregon
Cancer is a diagnosis that no one ever hopes to receive. Unfortunately millions of Americans are faced with a cancer diagnosis every year. In fact according to the American Cancer Society, is projected that approximately 1,898,160 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year, with a projected 608,570 cancer deaths. While cancer is a scary diagnosis that can absolutely be life-threatening, many cancers are curable if diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. Sadly, all too often patients with cancer experience a delay in diagnosis due to a cancer misdiagnosis. The delay can be a matter of life and death, potentially leading to a spread of the cancer to an extent that will not be curable. When a patient suffers harm due to a cancer misdiagnosis in Oregon, it may be considered to be medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice is when a physician or really any healthcare provider fails to use the reasonable care that another physician or healthcare provider would have in similar circumstances. This is measured against other healthcare providers with the same training, experience, rank, and in the locality. That manes doctors are compared against doctors, not nurses, and even more specifically that orthopedists are compared against orthopedists, anesthesiologists against anesthesiologists, and so on. A successful plaintiff is one who can prove that a reasonably prudent healthcare provider would have done differently than the other provider, and the damages would not have occurred but for that mistake.
This includes for cancer misdiagnosis in Oregon, which can be a very high stakes kind of mistake by a provider. This can result in permanent injury and disability, often allowing this horrible disease to grow and fester into something deadly. Even if a patient survives, there are other damages such as pain and suffering, unnecessary surgery or chemo due to the progression which was not fix, and other harm.
What is Cancer?
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is a disease that is caused by an uncontrollable division of abnormal cells. The difference between normal cells and cancer cells is that normal cells divide and function with a purpose, while cancer cells have no purpose and divide uncontrollably. Cancer can occur anywhere in the body, and the cause of cancer is often unknown, although for some there are known causes and risk factors. Cancer is considered to be a genetic disease, as the rapid division of abnormal cell growth is due to a change in a person’s DNA.
Signs and Symptoms of Cancer
There are many different types of cancer, and with each type of cancer is a unique set of signs and symptoms. With that being said, common signs and symptoms of cancer include the following:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Lymph node swelling
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Urinary problems (retention, painful urination, blood in the urine etc)
- Pain
- Impairment in the function of other cells (i.e. platelets, white blood cells, red blood cells)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Appetite loss
- Vision changes
- Balance disturbances
- Seizures
These are just some of the many possible signs of cancer. For some people, they may experience no signs or symptoms while for others, they may seek medical attention for symptoms that are being experienced.
Commonly Misdiagnosed Cancers
Unfortunately, cancer misdiagnose cases happen too often. And they often result in serious personal injuries or the wrongful death of an innocent person. But not all cancers are so commonly misdiagnosed. While every cancer has the potential to be misdiagnosed, there are some types of cancer that are misdiagnosed more commonly than others. These include the following:
- Breast cancer
- Lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Melanoma
- Colon cancer
- Lymphomas
- Sarcomas
Why is Cancer Misdiagnosed?
Unfortunately, as mentioned above all too often people experience a cancer misdiagnosis, leading to a delay in diagnosis and treatment. Misdiagnoses’ are made every day, and occur for a variety of reasons. These reasons include the following:
- Failure to perform cancer screening
- Misinterpretation of cancer screening results (i.e. a mammogram)
- Failure to properly conduct testing to diagnose cancer
- Communication errors
- Failure to refer to a specialist
- Failure to perform a biopsy
- Misinterpretation of pathology reports
- Failure to properly assess a patient
- Dismissal of a patient’s complaints
- Incorrect conducting of testing
- Delay in ordering testing
- Providing an incorrect diagnosis of something less serious, such as pneumonia instead of lung cancer
The above reasons are all examples of medical malpractice leading to a cancer misdiagnosis. Cancer misdiagnoses’ should never occur but unfortunately do. Patients who experience a cancer misdiagnosis may face additional treatments or surgeries that would not have otherwise been necessary if the patient had been diagnosed in a timely manner. Sadly, some people may pass away from their cancer as a result of the misdiagnosis. This is referred to as wrongful death.
Call Our Medical Malpractice Lawyer if Cancer Misdiagnosis in Oregon Has Harmed Your Family
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.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
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.
