Cancer Misdiagnosis
New York Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyers Peters Berger Koshel & Goldberg, P.C.
If you believe your cancer, or the cancer of a loved one, was misdiagnosed or diagnosed late due to medical malpractice, you need an experienced cancer misdiagnosis lawyer to investigate & review your case.
Sadly, there is a pressing need for expert New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyers. Too often, cancer patients are overlooked, given an inaccurate diagnosis or told to try an “alternative” therapy with little to no track record of proven results. The number of medical professionals responsible for each cancer diagnosis is far higher than most are aware. Technicians, radiologists, medical laboratory technologists, surgeons, nurses, and physicians are all part of the team of professionals in whom patients place their trust for the one thing that cannot be quantified in monetary terms—their lives.
Where negligence is present, the consequences can be dire.
Where negligence is present, it can come in the form of bad sampling techniques, human error, insensitive results, the misguided hunch of a doctor, or even a bad day on the part of a responsible medical professional. The consequences are dire. As cancer metastasizes, prognosis dwindles and the gravest battle of your life is made more grueling.
Three Commonly Misdiagnosed Cancers
Unfortunately, three of the most commonly misdiagnosed cancers are three of the most serious: breast cancer, melanoma, and lymphoma. These three cancers are often misdiagnosed because their symptoms closely resemble the symptoms of other conditions, and doctors fail to conduct the property tests or fail to properly interpret test results, to make a proper diagnosis. Some of the symptoms of breast cancer, melanoma, and lymphoma include:
Breast cancer symptoms are very unique; despite this, however, the condition is often misdiagnosed and mistaken for another disease or ailment. Some of the most common symptoms of breast cancer include tenderness and swelling of the nipples and breast, dimpling, skin irritation, redness and scaliness of breast tissues (skin), and lumps in the underarm. In some cases, these symptoms can also be the symptoms of a less serious ailment, such as a cyst or an infection.
Melanoma can be hard to spot in its early stages, especially because many people and their doctors will dismiss the symptoms of melanoma as indicative of an innocuous new mole or change to the skin. Signs and symptoms of melanoma include asymmetry of a mole, blurred or jagged mole borders, different colors throughout the mole rather than a constant color throughout, a mole that is larger than six inches in diameter, and changes to the mole in color, shape, or size.
Of three three cancer types listed, lymphoma is the one with symptoms that most commonly resemble those of other conditions. Some of the symptoms of lymphoma include, but are not limited to, swollen lymph nodes, lack of energy and fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, enlarged tonsils, an itch over the body without rash, fever, night sweats, temperature changes, weight loss, and loss of breath.
Why Cancers Are Commonly Misdiagnosed
As stated above, many cancers are misdiagnosed because they resemble other ailments. For example, lymphoma has many of the same symptoms of a common cold, and the doctor of a patient who is suffering such symptoms may not think to check for cancer when the patient complains a fever, chills, and fatigue. The same is true for breast cancer: irritation of the nipple could be indicative of a number of things, from pregnancy to infection. Many times, these serious diseases go undiagnosed because:
- Doctors fail to follow up with patients after an initial diagnosis is made to determine whether or not a patient’s condition has improved or worsened
- Doctors fail to order specific and necessary diagnostic tests, such as MRIs, CAT scans, biopsies, or blood work
- Doctors or nurses fail to collect important patient information, such as family history of cancer, other health conditions, etc.
- Doctors fail to refer patients to specialists when the condition is out of their knowledge area
- Patients’ test results are misinterpreted or mixed up with other patients
Misdiagnosis is extremely serious when it comes to cancer; the longer that a cancer is allowed to grow and proliferate without medical intervention, the more serious it becomes. Sadly, a misdiagnosis of cancer can mean a patient’s life.
What You Can Do to Improve Your Chances of an Accurate Diagnosis
While doctors are the experts and owe you, as a patient, a very high duty of care, you too have a responsibility to yourself. If you are suffering from symptoms of any illness, you should take actions to prevent a misdiagnosis. There are a number of things that you can do to help your doctor to make the correct diagnosis:
Show up to your appointment prepared
When you show up to your appointment with your doctor, be prepared. This means having a full list of your symptoms ready to present, coming ready with a list of questions you have, knowing your family history, and having any medical records or blood work sent to the doctor’s office. It is very important that you write down every symptom, even the minor ones, as this will be critical to helping your doctor make the correct diagnosis. It is also essential that you know your and your family’s medical history.
Make sure you tell your doctor about any medications you’re taking
Many medications can have side effects that mimic the symptoms of various diseases, and your doctor may assume – wrongly – that your symptoms are simply a result of your medicine. Write down, or bring in, every medication you’re taking and be prepared to discuss it with your doctor.
Ask a lot of questions
Asking questions when meeting with your doctor may feel intimidating and embarrassing, but that’s what they’re there for. Don’t let the doctor get away with rushing you along and moving on to the next patient – when you are with your doctor, that’s your time to find out everything you want to know what you’re going through. If you have a partner or close friend, ask them to accompany you and give them some time to ask questions about what you’re going through, too.
Follow up
Follow up with your doctor after a diagnosis, especially if your condition isn’t improving. If you have a feeling that what you’re going through is more than a cold, don’t be afraid to request blood work to rule out any cancers (or other diseases) that you could be suffering from. Further, do not be afraid to ask to be referred to a specialist or get a second opinion – your doctor will not be offended, as your health is their top priority, too.
If you think that your condition has been misdiagnosed, or if you are sure of it because you have now received a more accurate diagnosis, do not be afraid to take action. If you think that your doctor’s diagnosis is incorrect, do not hesitate to follow up with a second doctor or a specialist.
If you know that your doctor misdiagnosed your cancer, allowing it to spread even further throughout your body, you need expert medical care and experienced legal counsel. Our New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyers are here for you.
The Need for a Top New York Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer Near You
Unfortunately, patients are often reluctant to question the trust and confidence they place in their medical professionals. This is often because undue reverence is granted to the medical field and patient expectations are formulated out of the perceived status of their members. There needs to be an awareness that doctors have a duty to diagnose according to a standard probability model. This means the doctor must legally focus on the most probable cause of a patient’s symptoms and use the best means possible to do so. If the doctor goes on a hunch instead or uses any other unacceptable way of reaching a conclusion, that doctor may well be negligent.
The New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyers at Peters Berger Koshel & Goldberg, P.C. help victims of medical errors in the fight for their lives, and for the compensation necessary to seek proper medical care. Though financial awards cannot turn back time or strip away years of pain and suffering, a just award funds medical treatment helps make up for lost wages and makes the world safer for other potential cancer misdiagnosis victims.
Negligence through improper action or error also constitutes malpractice. Anyone involved, whether it is a doctor, nurse, technician or even a facility, can be held liable for their negligence when a patient is personally harmed. The consequences of misdiagnosis are dire and the victims and families affected by it deserve restitution. That’s where the New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyers at Peters Berger Koshel & Goldberg, P.C. enter the fray, aggressively taking on the insurance companies that specialize in denying the claims of the wronged.
Seeking Expert Legal Help Near You
New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyers are the patient’s secret weapon, there to put the right combination of effort, intellect and legal experience behind your case. The damages incurred from wrongful and late diagnosis incur costs in the form of more expensive and aggressive treatments and sometimes loss of life. The professional or professionals responsible for this suffering must be held liable for their misconduct. Additionally, the physical suffering, complications and, tragically, wrongful death that can result from cancer misdiagnosis also deserves restitution in the form of a settlement or jury award.
Successful verdicts and settlements have the power to change, and even save lives. They have the power to erase the financial strain so often present during the cancer battle. Not having to worry about the financial stress the family will be placed under during treatment or after death is an incredibly potent aid. At Peters Berger Koshel & Goldberg, P.C. our top New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyers fight with passion and perseverance for justice for victims and their families.
Cancer has the capacity to make a patient feel completely powerless and out of control. Those who empower themselves through litigation gain a sense of control over at least one aspect of their lives, and help make the system safer for others.
Contact Peters Berger Koshel & Goldberg, P.C at 718-596-7800 to get an expert New York cancer misdiagnosis lawyer on your case today.