If misdiagnosis of your anal cancer caused a delay in treatment, you might have a medical malpractice claim.
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If you finally got correctly diagnosed with anal cancer, but it took an unreasonably long time to obtain the diagnosis, your doctor might have committed medical malpractice. In cases like this, patients often do not receive the proper care that would have been available with a timely diagnosis and aggressive treatment. If this happened to you, you might be able to recover damages.
In many instances, a misdiagnosis is considered medical malpractice. At Medical Malpractice Help, our medical malpractice lawyers help clients across the United States pursue compensation for their losses. Call us at 888-261-5614 for a free case evaluation with an anal cancer misdiagnosis lawyer.
Signs and Symptoms of Anal Cancer
Doctors should recognize the signs and symptoms of anal cancer, and order appropriate tests when a patient exhibits those signs and symptoms.
- Rectal bleeding
- Lump or mass at the anal opening
- Pain or itching in the anal area
- Changes in bowel movements
- Abnormal discharge from the anus
- Swelling in the anal area
Why Early Diagnosis of Anal Cancer Matters
The longer it takes to get a correct diagnosis of anal cancer, the less likely it is that the patient will survive. Allowing this type of cancer to reach a later stage can be fatal for the patient. According to the American Cancer Society, the survival rate drops dramatically for late-stage cancer patients. For example, a patient diagnosed with Stage I anal cancer has a survival rate between 71 and 77 percent. However, for a patient diagnosed with Stage IV anal cancer, the survival rate drops to between 7 and 15 percent.
If a doctor misdiagnosis anal cancer that is in its early stages, the patient misses out on potentially life-saving treatment. If your doctor allowed your anal cancer to worsen and spread to distant places in your body, it could constitute medical malpractice.
When Misdiagnosis of Anal Cancer Amounts to Malpractice
If your doctor’s negligence caused you harm, you might have a claim for medical malpractice. To win your case, we will need to obtain proof that four key details existed in your case.
Your Doctor Had a Duty of Care to You.
Before we can hold your doctor responsible for your losses, we must prove that they had a duty of care toward you. All physicians have a duty toward their patients, as long as a documented doctor-patient relationship exists. We can prove this relationship with bills, receipts, and other evidence that your doctor was treating you at the time of the misdiagnosis.
They Breached Their Duty of Care.
We must prove that your doctor’s actions failed to measure up to the applicable standard of care.
To meet the standard of care, a doctor must deliver the same quality of care to all patients without discrimination. They must also and provide the same care that a typical medical professional with the same level of education and training would offer in similar circumstances. If a typical doctor would have run tests or sent you to a specialist after learning of your symptoms, and your doctor failed to do this, they may have violated the standard of care.
You Suffered Harm.
We must demonstrate that your doctor’s negligence caused you to suffer harm. For example, imagine that you started reporting symptoms to your doctor early on, when the cancer was likely in Stage I, but they assumed another, more benign health condition was to blame. By the time you underwent testing, your anal cancer had progressed to Stage IV. Because of their negligence, your survival odds went down dramatically, and you required more aggressive treatment. In this case, your doctor’s misdiagnosis caused you substantial harm.
That Harm Caused Damages.
Finally, we will collect proof that your doctor’s misdiagnosis caused your damages. We can use your medical bills and receipts, wage statements, and evidence of your ongoing pain and suffering to show the losses you suffered because of your doctor’s negligence.
How We Will Prove the Doctor Was Negligent
Since some critical evidence will be in the doctor’s medical records, it is imperative that you talk with a lawyer as soon as you suspect the possibility of medical malpractice. Your lawyer will want to act quickly to collect and preserve your medical evidence.
At Medical Malpractice Help, professionals with medical experience will read your patient file and pull out all the relevant information about your case.
We will also obtain copies of any lab tests, biopsies, surgical notes, second opinions, and all other data we need to build your case. We will hire medical experts to testify as to how the delay in diagnosis changed your prognosis and impacted your health and life.
Using this and other evidence, we will fight for the compensation you deserve for your damages.
Damages for Failure to Diagnose Anal Cancer
Our attorneys will document the losses you have faced because of your anal cancer misdiagnosis. Your damages could include:
- The medical bills related to the need for more extensive treatment than if you had received an early diagnosis;
- Your lost wages for recuperation from additional procedures because of the delayed diagnosis;
- Your physical and emotional pain and suffering;
- Your loss of enjoyment of life; and
- Your spouse’s or significant other’s mental anguish and loss of consortium.
After we collect the evidence we need to prove your damages, we will file a medical malpractice claim or lawsuit. If we can arrive at a fair out-of-court settlement with your doctor’s insurer, you will not have to go to court to resolve your case. However, if the insurer refuses to settle, we can file a lawsuit and make sure your case goes to trial .
Get Help From an Anal Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer Today.
At Medical Malpractice Help, we are ready to help you fight for justice. If you think a doctor may have been negligent in their misdiagnosis of your anal cancer. We will not charge you to evaluate your case. If we believe your doctor committed medical malpractice, we will help you pursue the compensation you deserve.