Undiagnosed cancer results in medical malpractice lawsuit

When someone goes to a doctor in Connecticut or anywhere else in the country, he or she expects that a diagnosis and treatment will be given for what is ailing him or her. This is the foundation of a doctor-patient relationship. The patient trusts that the doctor will provide the care that is needed according to the industry’s established standard of care. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

A medical malpractice lawsuit that was filed by a 58-year-old man who died a few months later is now being pursued by his daughter. According to the 35-year-old woman, her father had a tumor removed in 2011 that was on his bladder. It took a week for the pathology report to come out, but it showed that the man had bladder cancer. The urologist, according to the man’s daughter, didn’t learn about the cancer for a year — and it was from a different doctor.

The woman alleges that her father would have had a greater chance at surviving the cancer had he been told about a year earlier. Once learning of the cancer diagnosis, the man had his prostate and bladder removed. He also underwent chemotherapy. His daughter says that despite doing everything he could to beat the cancer, it claimed his life.

The court documents state that the urologist does not agree with the daughter’s account. In those documents, the doctor said that he told the man he had cancer, but he didn’t follow up as instructed.

The case is scheduled to go to court next year. There was no mention of the damages the woman was seeking.

A failure to diagnose cancer is medical malpractice. A patient who is a victim of such egregious actions deserves to be compensated. An experienced Connecticut attorney can help victims of medical malpractice by advising them of their legal options.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Lawsuit: Doctor didn’t inform patient of cancer” Wes Venteicher, Sep. 11, 2014