Missed Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Ohio Medical Malpractice Attorneys | Missed Breast Cancer Diagnosis
In the United States, breast cancer kills one in nine women. The American Cancer Society estimates that 192,370 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in 2009 and over 40,000 women were expected to die.
Failure to timely and properly diagnose breast cancer is one of the most common basis for medical malpractice lawsuits.
Advances in medicine and routine mammograms have made early detection of breast cancer possible. Breast cancer discovered in its early stages can frequently be removed with minor surgery or noninvasive treatment and the survival rate is high. If a breast cancer diagnosis is made at a Stage 0 or Stage I, the five-year survival rate is nearly 100 percent.
Delay in proper diagnosis can permit a small tumor to rapidly metastasize – or spread – to other areas, including lymph and bone. Treatment of breast cancer at later stages is more aggressive, more painful, more expensive and less successful. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer that is not diagnosed until Stage IV, is less than 20 percent.
A proper diagnosis can be delayed by a physician’s failure to recognize symptoms of the disease or inaccurate mammogram screening or interpretation. As many as 80 percent of breast cancer patients have had a mammogram that was incorrectly interpreted as negative.
More About Failure to Diagnose Cancer
Contact A Lawyer
If you have been injured, or a love one has died, because of a missed breast cancer diagnosis, contact the Columbus, Ohio, medical malpractice attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List to find out if you have a claim.
RECENT BLOG POSTS FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Holding Ohio Nursing Homes Accountable: Understanding Resident Rights & Systemic Neglect
Most people assume a misdiagnosis lawsuit is straightforward — doctor made a mistake, patient was harmed, case gets filed. What they don’t realize is that a wrong diagnosis alone isn’t malpractice. The question courts actually ask is whether the doctor deviated from what a reasonably competent physician would have done under the same or similar circumstances.
When a Misdiagnosis Becomes Medical Malpractice
Most people assume a misdiagnosis lawsuit is straightforward — doctor made a mistake, patient was harmed, case gets filed. What they don’t realize is that a wrong diagnosis alone isn’t malpractice. The question courts actually ask is whether the doctor deviated from what a reasonably competent physician would have done under the same or similar circumstances.
Brain Injury in Newborns (HIE) – Legal Pathways for Families
If you are reading this in the hours or days after your baby received a diagnosis of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy — HIE — you are probably running on little sleep, a lot of fear, and more questions than anyone has answered. What happened? Could it have been...
Meningioma and the Depo-Provera Shot: Understanding the Exposure and Diagnosis Patterns Behind Emerging Lawsuits
For many women, Depo-Provera was presented as a convenient, long-term birth control option. Few patients were warned that research has raised questions about a possible connection between prolonged exposure to certain progestin-based medications and intracranial...
When “Safety” Becomes a Danger: What Ohio Families Must Know About Bed Rails
For decades, families have viewed bed rails as a standard safety feature—a way to keep a loved one from falling out of bed. However, at Clark, Perdue & List, we have seen a different reality. In our decades of nursing home litigation, we have seen "safety" rails...
Brain Injuries After Truck Accidents: Understanding Your Legal Rights
A truck accident can change a life in an instant, especially when it results in a serious brain injury. One moment you are going about your day, and the next you or someone you love is facing a long and uncertain recovery. These injuries are not just medical events....