Wrongful Death And Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Physicians generally use a blood test, called the PSA test, to screen men with no symptoms for prostate cancer. Most doctors agree that high PSA levels trigger a need to let the patient know he may have cancer and to either refer the patient to a specialist or follow up with diagnostic testing to rule out prostate cancer. Yet, delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer cases happen all too often.
Consider the following reported cases. In the first reported case, a doctor help off for two years after consecutive abnormal PSA test results before informing the man that he might have cancer. When the patient was finally diagnosed the result was that he had advanced prostate cancer. The law firm that handled this case reported they were able to settle the lawsuit for $600,000 on behalf of the patient. In the second reported case, a doctor took 16 months, with three consecutive high PSA readings, prior to informing his patient, a sixty-four year old man. Before that the doctor had actually told the man that the results were normal for a patient his age. The result: the cancer had already spread to the man’s seminal vesicles. The law firm that handled this claim was able to report a settlement of $1.5 million on the man’s behalf.
As these two claims indicate, if a doctor does not follow up on an abnormal cancer screening test result and the patient’s cancer spreads during the delay caused by the physician, a cancer lawyer can help you determine if that doctor is liable for malpractice. In the worst case situation, a wrongful death attorney can help the patient’s family find out if they may have a wrongful death claim. The above should not be considered medical or legal advice. You should always consult with a doctor before taking medical advice or making a medical decision. And always consult with an attorney concerning any potential legal matter.