Cancer affects so many people in the United States. Research projects that nearly 2 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and that over 600,000 of those people will pass away from their diagnosis within the year. Since it’s so deadly and can take a person’s life so quickly, it’s important to get a prompt and correct diagnosis when it comes to cancer. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
If a doctor has misdiagnosed your cancer and caused you injuries and other damages because of it, then you can hold them accountable for their mistake. Our Minneapolis cancer misdiagnosis lawyer is here to help you through the legal process. We’ll guide you step by step so that you get the justice that you deserve and can recover financial compensation.
Causes of Cancer Misdiagnoses
When you go to your doctor with complaints of being sick, feeling pain, or generally not feeling well, you expect them to rule out all possibilities and test for everything that your ailment could be. Even though they’re professionally trained and have experience diagnosing patients, doctors and medical professionals can still make mistakes when they’re determining what’s happening in your body.
Here are some of the mistakes they could make that lead you to a misdiagnosis of cancer or missing your diagnosis of cancer:
- Not listening to the patient;
- Ordering the wrong tests;
- Improperly conducting tests;
- Misreading the test results;
- Choosing not to order tests to rule cancer out;
- Errors in written and verbal communication between doctors, nurses, and specialists;
- Diagnosing the patient with a condition that has similar symptoms but is not cancer;
- Diagnosing them with the wrong cancer; or
- Diagnosing them with cancer when they don’t have it, and putting them through unnecessary cancer treatments.
When any of these mistakes happen, it can put off a patient’s treatment, or cause them to undergo unnecessary treatments that cause the body more harm. This can be more detrimental to a patient’s health than the diagnosis itself because it can lead to more health problems and complications.
A Minneapolis cancer misdiagnosis lawyer can help you recover financially from the mistake that your doctor made. You deserve to be listened to and treated with proper and timely care. When that doesn’t happen, it can lead to your health taking even more of a turn. Let’s take a look at the effects you could experience if you’re misdiagnosed with cancer.
For a legal consultation with a cancer misdiagnosis lawyer serving Minneapolis, call 612-349-2729
Effects of a Misdiagnosis
One of the main issues that comes with any misdiagnosis is that it prolongs any treatment that you may receive. When your doctor improperly diagnoses you with another condition or illness, they’ll start treating you for that rather than what is actually ailing you. Here’s what treating you for the wrong illness can do when you actually have cancer:
- Allow tumors to grow;
- Allow cancer cells to spread through the rest of the body;
- Make the treatment you need even more aggressive;
- Cause you to need more specialized surgery;
- Increase your recovery time from treatment and surgery;
- Allow the cancer to progress until it can’t be treated; or
- Lead to a death that could have been prevented.
All of these reasons are why it’s so important for your doctor to examine all possibilities when you come into their office. Many doctors don’t want to include cancer as a possibility because it is seen as the worst-case scenario. However, many patients do have cancer, which is why they should always rule it out if cancer is on the table.
Sometimes, those tests for cancer create false positives, or doctors diagnose a patient with cancer because they misread the tests and symptoms. This can lead to negative effects on your body and health as well because they might advise you to go through cancer treatment, like chemotherapy.
Even though chemo is an effective treatment for patients with cancer, if you don’t have cancer, it can be extremely damaging to your health and cause you to go through unnecessary hardships. Your doctor might even put you through invasive procedures and surgeries that you didn’t need because you didn’t actually have cancer.
When either of these situations were a result of your doctor’s negligence, you could hold them accountable for their medical malpractice. At Madia Law, our Minneapolis cancer misdiagnosis attorney is here to fight for your rights and ensure that your doctor is held responsible for their negligence.
Minneapolis Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer Near Me 612-349-2729
Types of Misdiagnosed Cancers
There are certain cancers that you might be misdiagnosed with more than others. The Associated Press (AP) published an article reporting that there are four commonly misdiagnosed cancers in the United States. These misdiagnoses are based on a couple of factors, like symptoms mimicking other illnesses or symptoms showing differently for different people.
According to the article, the four cancers that are most commonly misdiagnosed are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer. Doctors might mistake these cancers for other problems, like IBS or a chest cold. While patients and doctors alike might want to be optimistic about what’s going on with their body, missing the diagnosis could prove fatal for a patient.
If you’ve been misdiagnosed with cancer, or your doctor missed a cancer diagnosis for you and it caused you to suffer more damage and health problems, then you could use the help of a lawyer. Our cancer misdiagnosis lawyer can help you through the legal process so that you can be compensated for what you’ve gone through.
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Madia Law Can Help
Cancer changes your life. When you receive a cancer diagnosis later than you should have, or when you didn’t actually have cancer, both permanently affect your life. You shouldn’t have to deal with this on your own. Our Minneapolis cancer misdiagnosis attorney from Madia Law is here to represent you.
We’ll look into what happened, what extra damages you suffered as a result of your misdiagnosis, and what you’re owed in compensation for those damages. Get in touch with our office today so we can start helping you with a free consultation.
Call 612-349-2729 or complete a Case Evaluation form
