There are few things in life more frightening than receiving a cancer diagnosis. The situation can be made worse if your doctor mistakenly identifies your condition as something else or delays the correct diagnosis. Any delay could lead to your cancer progressing unnecessarily—an outcome that is unacceptable under any medical standard.
If you are dealing with these kinds of medical mistakes, a St. Louis cancer misdiagnosis lawyer may be able to help. You could be entitled to compensation, and one of our dedicated malpractice attorneys may be able to help you.
Medical professionals are held to a standard of care when treating patients, including when diagnosing conditions such as cancer. No one expects them to be perfect, and it may be challenging to identify a specific illness, especially early on. Reasonable mistakes might not result in a doctor being liable in a malpractice case. However, failure to correctly diagnose a condition when most doctors with similar experience would have diagnosed the condition could be a basis for pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit.
It can be difficult to understand and navigate this type of situation, but our attorneys in St. Louis can answer questions about what qualifies as a missed cancer diagnosis. Several factors can contribute to this kind of mistake.
Misdiagnoses can be the result of errors in diagnostic tests. These can include a lab mixing up test results or failing to examine a sample correctly. Contaminated test results can also cause problems.
The failure to exercise reasonable care is a common factor when doctors misdiagnose cancer. Physicians are expected to meet the standard of care that the average doctor is capable of providing. A doctor can be directly to blame by failing to order the right tests, reading results incorrectly, or failing to notice symptoms. When considering whether a doctor should have diagnosed cancer, our attorneys will look at radiology studies such as MRIs and CT scans, as well as pathology and biopsy results.
Some errors have nothing to do with the treating physician. Sometimes, misdiagnosis results from miscommunication between medical professionals. For example, medical records may not reflect symptoms accurately, or nursing staff may fail to correctly alert the doctor to signs of cancer.
Our lawyers can review your case, determine how the misdiagnosis occurred, and seek to hold your provider accountable for damages.
The opportunity to pursue a medical malpractice case after a cancer misdiagnosis does not last forever. State law requires these lawsuits to comply with a legal deadline known as the statute of limitations. Once the deadline passes, a plaintiff can no longer file a case for compensation. This is true even if there is substantial evidence of negligence.
In Missouri, the statute of limitations typically requires a person to file their lawsuit within two years of the negligence. Although there are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, they are limited. You should consult an attorney to understand whether an exception may apply to your case.
In addition, children who were misdiagnosed in Missouri have until their 20th birthday to pursue a claim, no matter when the error occurred. Our St. Louis attorneys can help ensure a cancer misdiagnosis claim is filed on time.
If you are the victim of cancer misdiagnosis, it is vital that you seek legal help immediately. A successful claim could provide you with the financial support you need to address your medical needs. Contact us to speak to a St. Louis cancer misdiagnosis lawyer today.