Medical malpractice includes cases where the failure to diagnose illnesses.
Such failures may result from the failure to order the necessary tests, failure to see what a normal medical professional could see, failure to consider the patient’s family history, misreading of the test results, failure to refer the patient to the required surgeons, and failure to follow up with the patient on test results.
This type of negligence on the part of the healthcare provider should not be disregarded because every doctor has the duty to determine the cause of certain symptoms.
Among the most common types of misdiagnosed illnesses are certain types of cancer.
What are the most common types of cancer that doctors fail to diagnose? Sometimes, these types of cancer could have been prevented or treated successfully had the diagnosis been given correctly and on time.
Cancer displays certain symptoms that should provide enough warning for physicians. Some early signs of cancer include unexplained weigh-loss, fever, fatigue, pain, headache, or skin tone changes.
Some specific signs of cancer include: a change in bowel habits or bladder function could implicate bladder or prostate cancer, and sores that do not heal could indicate skin cancer.
Unusual bleeding or discharge could mean colon or rectal cancer, and blood in the urine could mean bladder or kidney cancer.
These are some of the most common signs of cancer, but cancer can even happen without any of the symptoms mentioned.
When You Should Pay Attention to Potential Medical Malpractice
If you notice changes in how your body works or how you feel, especially if it lasts for a long time or gets worse, do not ignore these potential early signs of cancer; you should see a doctor immediately.
Although they may be signs of less serious conditions, getting a doctor’s confirmation for them is better. If you notice the symptoms worsening and the doctor refuses to order tests or give you treatment.
That might be an early sign of medical malpractice, and you should probably seek another doctor’s opinion.
Among the most common types of cancer involved in failures to diagnose cases are bladder, breast, colon, kidney, leukemia, lymphoma, lung, ovarian, prostate, renal, skin, stomach, and many others.
Timeliness and correctness of diagnosis of the doctors are important not only in preventing cancerous injuries but also in saving the patients’ lives.
On the other hand, failure to diagnose can lead to severe and fatal consequences.
Contact a Chicago medical malpractice attorney from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers to discuss any legal questions.
