Cancer

When you or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, it is an emotional and traumatic experience for the whole family. A cancer diagnosis is devastating but if it should have been diagnosed earlier due to negligence, the effects can be life changing. When this occurs, you may be able to seek answers, and apology, and compensation for you and your family.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or one in six deaths in 2018[1]. Recent statistics show that lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancers account for almost half of all cancers in the UK[2]. Half of the people diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales survive the disease for 10 years or more, receiving exceptional care and treatment from medical professionals.

[1] https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1

[2] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics-for-the-uk#heading-One

What mistakes lead to cancer negligence claims?

A medical professional treating you owes you a duty of care to prevent harm being suffered by you.

There are many different mistakes that may be made, which could lead to a “breach of duty of care” by a medical professional. To prove that negligence has occurred, it would need to be shown that the breach of duty of care caused you harm, that was otherwise avoidable.

Cases often involve a patient seeing their GP because they are worried about their symptoms, but the GP then fails to recognise that their symptom or collective symptoms are indicative of cancer, and an onward referral to an appropriate specialist is not made. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

If you suspect that you have symptoms of any form of cancer, you should see you GP. If the GP is concerned, you should be referred to the appropriate specialist, and seen within two weeks.

Other examples of cancer related negligence include:

What are the most commonly misdiagnosed cancers?

In the UK, the most commonly misdiagnosed cancers are:

Colorectal (or Bowel) Cancer

Between 2015 and 2017, there were 42,317 new cases of Colorectal cancer. There are a number of diagnosis that replicate colorectal cancer symptoms, such as haemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.

Pancreatic Cancer

Between 2015 and 2017, there were 10,257 new cases of pancreatic cancer. Common misdiagnoses can be irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones or pancreatitis.

Breast cancer

Between 2015 and 2017, there were 55,176 new cases of breast cancer. Examples of misdiagnosis can include, diagnosis of a non-cancerous cyst, breast inflammation and fibrocystic breast disease.

Lung cancer

Between 2015 and 2017, there were 47,838 new cases of lung cancer. Symptoms of lung cancer usually include shortness of breath and coughing, which can be misdiagnosed as respiratory problems.

How we can help:

Your claim is about you and the impact that the missed or delayed diagnosis has made to your life and your family, we are here to listen to your concerns so we can fight your corner and use our expert knowledge to help you to bring your claim for compensation.

We have many years’ experience with cancer negligence claim; common types of cancer cases we deal with include:

Female Cancers:

Male Cancers:

Other Cancers:

If you have a loved one who has passed a way as a result of cancer, and you believe there may have been some negligence on behalf of their treating doctors, you may still be entitled to compensation. Our lawyers understand the trauma to a family when a loved one is lost and we will do everything we can to help you, with care and sensitivity.

How do I pay for my claim?

[ In the majority of cases, we are able to help you on a ‘no-win-no-fee’ basis. Contact our team today for a free consultation.

Covid-19 and delayed cancer diagnoses

It is difficult to be critical in the current climate and unlikely that suspension of cancer screening (for example) could give rise to a case but if you or a loved one has concerns that that signs or symptoms have been missed, or that treatment that should have been available was delayed unnecessarily, or even that NHS guidance regarding prioritisation and delivery of treatment was misapplied, speak to us and we will try to find a way through with you.