New Jersey Delayed Cancer Diagnosis Attorneys

Delayed Cancer Diagnosis

According to the National Cancer Institute, early cancer detection through screening tests provides the best opportunity for patients to obtain more effective treatment with the fewest side effects. The bottom line is that patients whose cancer is found early and treated in a timely manner are more likely to survive than are those whose cancers are not found until the most serious of symptoms appear. For this reason, much of the current cancer funding is being spent on systems and tests that could help doctors detect cancer at an earlier stage. But what happens when there is a delay in the diagnosis of cancer, and, the patient does not receive treatment until the cancer is detected at a later stage?

Screening tests remain the most effective method of detecting cancer early in its development, but many physicians do not utilize them adequately. Factors like the patient’s age or even their general appearance and lack of complex symptoms can prevent a doctor from making the decision to subject the patient to basic screening tests. Many such screening tests have become commonplace due to their effectiveness, such as yearly pap smears, mammograms, PSAs and colonoscopies, but they only help to detect certain types of cancer. As cancer is a disease that can literally affect any part of the body, it is hoped that new and effective screening tests for other cancers will also soon become available.

Just as early detection of cancer presents the best chance for a favorable outcome for patients, the end result of delayed cancer diagnosis can be grave indeed. All forms of cancer are more easily treated in their early stages, but when a doctor fails to administer yearly cancer screenings, misreads a test or biopsy that has been ordered, or assumes from a patient’s age or previous medical history that cancer is not a viable possibility, it may constitute medical malpractice under the current law; especially since a later diagnosis of cancer can lead to a lengthy battle, requiring invasive surgeries, and, debilitating radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

The NJ delayed diagnosis attorneys at Blume Goldfaden have the experience and expertise to determine if a patient’s cancer diagnosis was delayed, and, if such malpractice resulted in harm or injury for which damages may be recovered. Call us for an evaluation at no cost to you.