Jane was a much loved wife and mother who died as a result of a delayed diagnosis of bowel cancer and a lack of follow-up appointments.
Jane underwent surgery to remove her appendix and during the procedure they found non-cancerous tumours, which were removed. At the time, she was not informed that these tumours (also known as polyps) could develop again and that if left untreated, could become cancerous. No follow-up was arranged.
Some time later, she started to experience a change in bowel habit and was referred for investigations. She was reassured that everything was normal and there was nothing to worry about.
Jane’s symptoms worsened and she began to suffer rectal bleeding and chest pains. She saw her GP who arranged a chest x-ray, which she was told was normal. In fact, that x-ray showed the presence of a 16mm tumour but this was missed.
Later that year, Jane returned to her GP with ongoing symptoms of constipation. She was referred to the hospital and seen by the colorectal team. A CT scan of her colon was performed and she was advised that there was no evidence of a tumour. No further follow up was arranged and Jane felt reassured by this news.
Jane’s health gradually deteriorated. By this point, she was also experiencing severe headaches. She was referred back to hospital and tests revealed that she had a large cancer in her colon, which had spread to her liver and lungs. Jane and her family were told that the cancer was incurable.
She underwent surgery to remove the colon cancer and a colostomy. Jane deteriorated further and she suffered with continuing abdominal pain and was diagnosed with sepsis. She underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy but her condition worsened and she died at the end of the year, just months after the diagnosis. She left behind her husband and two young daughters.
How We Helped
Our team were instructed by Jane’s widower to investigate possible negligence in his wife’s care and provide some much needed answers.
We obtained evidence from medical experts who were highly critical of the care that had been provided to Jane and all agreed that her death had been avoidable.
Our experts were concerned that after the findings of polyps, Jane had not been under regular surveillance, which would have resulted in early detection of the polyps before they turned into cancer. They were also concerned that Jane had not been more thoroughly investigated when she went to the hospital with a change in bowel habit and all agreed this was another missed opportunity to identify the polyps and remove them before they became cancerous.
Following our initial letter to the hospital Trust setting out our case, they made several admissions of liability but denied that earlier detection and treatment of the cancer would have prevented Jane’s death. We issued Court proceedings and continued to fight the case for the family and eventually the hospital Trust made an offer of compensation.
An outcome was achieved that resulted in us obtaining a significant amount of compensation for our client and his daughters. This enabled security for their future and some closure following the devastating loss of their wife and mother.
