Cancer Diagnosis Too Late in Oregon

What Happens if a Doctor Makes my Cancer Diagnosis Too Late in Oregon?

 

You do not need a medical degree to know that cancer must be detected early and treated aggressively.  It does not matter what type it is, all cancers must be aggressively handled.  This means that individuals and their families need appropriate and competent medical care and treatment in the evaluation and diagnosis of their cancer.  The good news is that this usually happens, and Oregon has some of the greatest oncology doctors in the United States.  But the bad news is that cancer misdiagnosis and delays in diagnosis do happen.  When a cancer diagnosis too late in Oregon results in irreparable harm or death, it could be due to medical malpractice.

 

Misdiagnosing happens often too.  According to a Washington Post article, about 20% of all conditions are found to be misdiagnosed when a patent goes from a primary care doctor to a specialist for a second opinion.  With cancer diagnoses, an article from the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that as much as 28% of all cancer diagnoses were misdiagnosed and some cancers actually had rates up to 44% of the time.  The same article provides that the most commonly misdiagnosed types of cancer include breast cancer, lymphoma, sarcomas, melanomas, and other types of serious forms of cancer.  In fact, government research provides that up to 10-30% of breast cancers are missed on mammographies which are the gold-standard for evaluating them.  Most of these are examples of Oregon medical malpractice.

 

Why Do Cancer Cases Get Diagnosed Too Late?

 

There are many reasons why there may be a late cancer diagnosis, or a missed diagnosis or a delayed diagnosis.  This includes some of the following causes:

 

• Communication errors between doctors, specially the doctor requesting a test and the testing doctor such as a pathologist, radiologists, or oncology specialist
• Misreading test results
• Ordering the wrong tests for the potential type of cancer
• Downplaying patient symptoms
• Failing to diagnosis the correct cancer or the correct stage of cancer for treatment purposes
• Failing to properly test for cancer
• Misdiagnosing cancer as something else that is benign 
• Improperly performing test to check on cancer
• Early discharge 
• Misplacing results
• Failing to refer to a specialist 
• Delays in treating a patient
• Delays in evaluating a patient who has symptoms
• Improper tests for the type of cancer, and
• Other common causes of Oregon medical malpractice.

Damages from Cancer Diagnosis Too Late in Oregon

 

An individual who has a late cancer diagnosis may have few options.  Unfortunately, wrongful death could be due to medical errors which may have saved a person.  This could occur when a provider decides to not test for cancer and rules it out improperly, and then a year or two later the patient’s symptoms still persist and it turns out to be cancer and not a benign condition.

 

But the good news is that some patients who have a late diagnosis could still fight back and survive.  When this happens, there might be serious damage such as amputations or loss of organs.  Other times a patient may have permanent nerve damage or blood vessel damage from the strong types of chemotherapy or radiation treatment.  In many instances, a victim who overcomes stage three or stage four cancer will have a higher change of cancer returning and a higher likelihood that it will be fatal.  This can be included as part of the damages in an Oregon medical malpractice case for a delay in cancer diagnosis.

 

Ask our Portland Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer For Help

 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover. 

 

Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton,  Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles,  St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.  

 

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

 

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.