Medical Malpractice Suit Alleges Failure To Diagnose Cancer

Montana residents rely on their doctors to properly diagnose their ailments and prescribe care based on that diagnosis. A misdiagnosis or a failure to diagnose a serious disease can result in delayed treatment and a worsened medical condition. An Ohio woman claims this is what happened to her, and she recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit alleging doctors failed to diagnose cancer in time.

The woman initially went to a doctor complaining of pain and stiffness in her left knee. The doctor ordered an X-ray of the left knee, which raised a concern the pain might be due to cancer. The doctor then ordered an MRI. Unfortunately, according to the lawsuit he ordered the MRI of the wrong knee. The doctor then allegedly continued to treat the left knee based on the MRI of the right, healthy knee.

The woman later saw another doctor who also had concerns about cancer after reviewing the X-ray of the left knee. But the lawsuit claims he also mistakenly relied on the MRI of the right knee in diagnosing and treating the left knee.

A third doctor finally referred the woman to a specialist in orthopedic cancer. The specialist sent her to an oncologist, who discovered the woman had cancer in her left leg bone, and that it had spread to her lungs. The lawsuit alleges that in the seven-month period that she was misdiagnosed, the cancer had become a Stage III cancer and her chances of survival had dropped from 70 percent to 30 percent.

When a person is injured due to medical professional negligence, they have the right to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit and recover compensation. Medical malpractice cases are highly complex and require testimony by medical experts. A person who believes they are a victim of doctor error can benefit from consulting an experienced medical malpractice lawyer to get an assessment of their case.

Source: The Lima News, “Coldwater woman files medical malpractice lawsuit,” Greg Sowinski, July 22, 2014