Common Errors By Physicians In Florida Cancer Misdiagnosis Cases
Despite the fact that researchers have made excellent strides with reducing fatalities, cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the US. According to estimates developed by the American Cancer Society (ACS), there will be almost 1.96 million people diagnosed with new cancer cases in 2023. In Florida, the estimated number of new cases for the year is 162,410. The outlook for many of these individuals is not as unfortunate as it was decades ago, due in part to advancements with cancer care and earlier detection for certain cancers.
Because these innovations with care and detection go hand in hand, failures with diagnosis can be devastating. The most promising treatment is useless when a health care provider commits preventable errors with diagnosing the disease. If you suffered harm because of such a mistake, it is wise to get in touch with a Tampa cancer misdiagnosis attorney right away. You should also review some information on common types of diagnosis errors.
Mistakes Behind Failure to Diagnose Cancer: Generally, negligence is the reason that health care providers misdiagnose diseases like cancer. In the practice of law, this means that the physician did not adhere to the medical standard of care when providing treatment. Your doctor would be measured against other physicians in the same specialty area, namely other oncologists and cancer care specialists.
With the failure to diagnose cancer, common errors by health care providers include:
- Not carefully reviewing the patient’s chart for medical history and risk factors;
- Failing to conduct a thorough physical exam when the patient complains of a cancer-related symptom;
- Neglecting to order appropriate tests to diagnose suspected cancer, such as lab screenings, MRIs, x-rays, and CT scans;
- Improperly processing a biopsy or tissue sample, leading to contamination and inaccurate test results; and,
- Misreading test results to state a false-positive or false-negative presence of cancer.
Important Facts About Cancer Misdiagnosis Cases: One critical detail about all medical malpractice cases is the statute of limitations in Florida. You have 2 years from the date of the mistake that caused your injuries, which would typically mean the day you receive the incorrect diagnosis. Additional facts include:
- The statute of limitations is up to 4 years if you did not discover the injury right away, a frequent issue with failure to diagnose cancer cases.
- A false-positive diagnosis might seem like a relief, until you consider the treatment you went through for no reason. Radiation, chemo, and other therapies are extremely harsh.
- The crucial factor with false-negative diagnosis of cancer is how the disease can progress without treatment. It could become terminal through delays, whereas treatment might have produced a better outcome.
Consult with a Tampa Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer About Concerns
These facts are helpful for understanding the basics, but you can trust our team at Greco & Wozniak P.A. to pursue a medical malpractice claim. To learn more, please contact our offices in Tampa, FL by calling 813.223.7849 or checking out our website. We can set up a free consultation to review your case and describe next steps in the legal process.
Source:
cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2023/2023-cancer-facts-and-figures.pdf
