Blog Topic

Delayed Diagnosis of Cancer
Posted by: Craig A. Knapp
May 20, 2011

Was your, or someone you love, cancer misdiagnosed? Did the doctor say it was something else? If so, you are not alone. In 2010, there were more than 1.5 million new cancer cases in the U.S. Of those, about 570,000 people died, according to the American Cancer Society.

What if some of those deaths could have been prevented? It is estimated that about 12% of all cancers were initially a misdiagnosis. This means, almost 200,000 of those 1.5 million people were diagnosed with something else when they really had cancer.

Typically when a doctor or several doctors do not detect cancer right away, dubbing the illness as something else, it leads to extreme chemotherapy or death for the patient. Sadly, in most cases, had there been no delay in diagnosis, that person's life could have been saved.

How can you prevent a misdiagnosis? Statistics like this make it especially important to get more than one opinion when being diagnosed with cancer. Despite your history with your doctor, do not be afraid to get someone else's opinion. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions and research things yourself! Ask for a copy of all your x-ray, CT, or MRI reports. My firm has seen cases were the doctor and hospital DID NOT read the radiology report which specifically referenced cancer as a medical finding. The patient was discharged without knowing cancer was present. This caused years of delayed treatment and premature death. If you think it may be something, see a specialist in that area. It's always best to take all precautions when dealing with your health.

If you or your loved one was misdiagnosed initially, resulting in delayed cancer treatment, do not hesitate to contact Knapp & Roberts to find out your rights. You may not be able to get back your loved one or the time that you missed, but you may be able to settle any financial struggles and other losses that the misdiagnosis caused. Not to mention, the opportunity to possibly prevent another patient misdiagnosis from that doctor or hospital again.

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