Cancer Misdiagnosis

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 550,000 people will die of cancer in the U.S. in 2008—that's more than 1,500 people every day. In fact, cancer accounts for 1 of every 4 deaths in the U.S. A timely cancer diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, cancer misdiagnoses are not uncommon. At The Berkowitz Law Firm, our medical malpractice attorneys represent individuals who have been harmed by a cancer misdiagnosis.

Misdiagnosing Cancer

Roughly 12 percent of cancer patients are initially misdiagnosed. A cancer misdiagnosis may occur in relation to:

the type of cancer
the stage of the cancer
the location of the cancer
the underlying condition
related conditions or complications

In addition, particular groups of people are more likely to have their cancer misdiagnosed: those who have no health insurance, patients covered by Medicaid, African Americans, and women over 70 years old.

How Cancer Is Misdiagnosed

The reasons for cancer misdiagnosis are numerous. Physicians, specialists, pathologists, laboratory personnel and other healthcare providers are not immune to making mistakes, or from acting negligently. Common reasons for a cancer misdiagnosis include:

a malignant (cancerous) mass is diagnosed as benign (non-cancerous)
a benign tumor is identified as malignant
a malignant lesion or tissue is missed in the biopsy
a patient is not referred to a specialist for further testing
a tumor is misclassified as to type, or graded incorrectly
tissue specimens are improperly read or interpreted
a patient at increased risk for cancer does not receive adequate screening
a physician does not notice or pay attention to the patient's complaints
a patient's case is not properly followed up when cancer should have been suspected

Losses and Damages from Cancer Misdiagnoses

Individuals who do have a malignancy that is misinterpreted or missed entirely may not receive the cancer treatment they need, or may not get the correct treatment at an early stage that could increase their chance of survival. Conversely, people who are diagnosed with cancer when there was none may undergo harmful and unnecessary treatment.

The medical malpractice attorneys at The Berkowitz Law Firm can help individuals who have been the victim of a cancer misdiagnosis. Contact one of our experienced Connecticut cancer misdiagnosis attorneys in Stamford, Connecticut or Danbury, CT today.

Meet the Attorneys

Recent Headlines at Berkowitz and Reinken

Russ Berkowitz has recently recovered $810,000.00 against a local high school and its school administrators and coaches on behalf of a high school student who sustained a fractured neck during an unsupervised, after school, off-season wrestling practice in the school’s gymnasium.

$2,450,000.00 total award against a hospital for its failure to properly restrain a hospital psychiatric patient who jumped out of a hospital window and fell three stories sustaining a permanent brain injury. Eric Blomberg and Russ Berkowitz represented the plaintiff.

Russ Berkowitz has been selected as a 2010 Super Lawyer...

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Joanne Sheehan recently settled a medical malpractice case for $1,800,000.00 against an optometrist who caused a female plaintiff to sustain permanent vision loss in both eyes following the improper administration of ophthalmic steroids despite said optometrist's knowledge of the plaintiff's history of steroid induced eye pressure.

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