If you suffered harm because a doctor misdiagnosed or failed to diagnose your parathyroid cancer, our legal team can help you fight for compensation from the responsible party.
You could have grounds to file for medical malpractice—and be entitled to compensation —if your doctor misdiagnosed parathyroid cancer in you or a loved one. One of the main factors affecting a patient’s prognosis and chances of a full recovery is the stage of the cancer at the time treatment begins. If a doctor misdiagnoses or fails to diagnose the condition, it delays treatment. During the intervening weeks or months, the cancer continues to grow and spread, becoming more difficult and painful to treat. In a worst-case scenario, it becomes inoperable.
A parathyroid cancer misdiagnosis lawyer can help you go after the compensation you deserve. At Medical Malpractice Help, our medical malpractice lawyers have a track record of winning substantial settlements for our clients. We offer free case evaluations, where we can answer your questions and help you decide what to do after a misdiagnosis . Call us today at 888-261-5614.
If Your Doctor Missed Common Symptoms or Risk Factors for Parathyroid Cancer, It Could Be Malpractice.
To diagnose parathyroid cancer early, a doctor must be aware of the symptoms commonly associated with the condition. If you present one or more of these signs, your doctor has a duty to try to rule out parathyroid cancer as the cause. If he or she fails to do so and misdiagnoses you instead, it could be considered medical malpractice.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of parathyroid cancer, according to Cancer.gov:
- Weakness or fatigue;
- Nausea or vomiting;
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite;
- Excessive thirst and more frequent urination;
- Constipation;
- Cloudy thinking;
- Abdominal pain;
- Back pain;
- Pain in the side;
- Pain in the bones;
- Fractures;
- Lump in the neck;
- Hoarseness or other vocal changes; and
- Difficulty swallowing.
If you presented one or more symptoms, your doctor should have recognized parathyroid cancer as a possibility and ordered further testing to confirm the presence of the condition or rule it out—especially if your symptoms had no other explanation. If your doctor had done this promptly, he or she could have made a timely diagnosis and begun treatment right away. His or her failure to do so is very likely grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Here are some of the testing methods your doctor should have explored.
Physical Exam
Your doctor should have ordered a full-body exam to assess your general health and obtained a complete medical history to screen for risk factors and other possible causes of your symptoms.
Blood Work or Venous Sampling
Doctors can check for this type of cancer by drawing blood and testing it for the levels of different substances. When screening blood for parathyroid cancer, your doctor should be watching for elevated levels of calcium.
Your doctor could have also ordered a venous sampling. This is a special kind of blood draw where the doctor removes blood from a vein near the organ of concern, which helps determine if the organ is producing too much or too little of a particular substance.
Parathyroid Hormone Test
If your parathyroid hormone levels are elevated with no apparent cause, it strongly suggests you might have parathyroid cancer. Doctors conduct this type of test by collecting a blood sample.
Sestamibi Scan
This is a special scan to detect if your parathyroid gland is overactive.
CT Scan, Ultrasound, or Angiogram
Doctors often use a CT scan or an ultrasound to look inside your body and locate potential disturbances or areas of concern. An angiogram might also help a doctor identify any problems with blood flow.
Our Legal Team Has a Track Record of Success in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits.
At Medical Malpractice Help, we pride ourselves on our dedication to our clients and our outstanding track record in fighting and winning medical malpractice lawsuits. We know what it takes to emerge victoriously. Our process starts with proving the following four elements of your case:
- Your doctor owed you a duty of care;
- Your doctor breached that duty;
- As a result, you suffered injuries; and
- Because of your injuries, you incurred damages.
Duty of Care
To establish that your doctor owed a duty of care, we must show that you had an existing doctor-patient relationship at the time of his or her misdiagnosis. We can do this by showing you paid the doctor for medical care.
Breach of Duty
To show that your doctor breached his or her duty of care to you, we use the reasonable person standard. This standard is a litmus test that compares your doctor’s actions to those that one would expect from a reasonable doctor in the same situation. If we can make a convincing case that another doctor, given the same information, would have made the proper diagnosis, we can show a breach of duty.
Injury
Next, we have to connect your doctor’s breach of duty to an injury. We can do this by showing how your cancer progressed to a more serious stage as a result of not being diagnosed and treated early.
Damages
Last, we must present the damages that you suffered because of your injury. These can be economic, non-economic, or, as is usually the case, a combination of both. At Medical Malpractice Help, we put substantial effort into fully investigating your medical malpractice case , itemizing every loss you and your family suffered, and pursuing the responsible party for the full amount.
The Medical Malpractice Help team wants to help you after a misdiagnosis of parathyroid cancer. Our track record is long and successful, and we want to put our knowledge and resources to work for you. We can help you file an insurance claim or lawsuit, so you can fight for the compensation you deserve.