Cancer Lawyer Assists Victims Of Advanced Colon Cancer Whose Physician Overlooked Their Symptoms

One of the categories of cases handled by a cancer lawyer are those that deal with colon cancer.  One of the issues that most commonly come up are due to a physician having reassured a patient that the blood they became aware of in their stool was due purely to hemorrhoids when in fact the patient actually has colon cancer.  Some of the other most frequently seen delayed diagnosis scenarios involve advanced breast cancer, advanced prostate cancer and advanced colon cancer.  Let’s, however, for now just consider colon cancer.

A pattern that goes on far too frequently includes a doctor telling a patient who has complaints of blood in the stool that the patient only suffers from hemorrhoids and there is nothing to worry about.  But, the blood later turns out to have been because of colon cancer all along.  What legal options does the patient have under these circumstances?

The first thing to notice is that most doctors agree that if a patient presents with rectal bleeding or blood in the stool a colonoscopy has to be completed so as to figure out the cause of the blood.  The colonoscopy is a procedure that helps determine whether the blood is being caused by colon cancer or something else such as hemorrhoids.  Although blood in the stool is much more likely to result from something other than colon cancer not performing the right tests puts the patient at risk of having cancer that will keep growing and spreading every day it is not found.

If appropriate tests (such as a colonoscopy) are performed as soon as the patient exhibits symptoms consistent with colon cancer it may be possible to find the cancer before it reaches an advanced stage.  Early diagnosis oftentimes means that the cancer can be removed surgically (or possibly even during a colonoscopy) and the patient may not need chemotherapy.  Early diagnosis also frequently means that the patient has a much better chance of surviving the cancer.  Should the patient in fact have cancer then not letting the patient know that the blood may be due to cancer the physician effectively impedes the diagnosis.  The delay can allow for the progression of the cancer to an advanced stage.  At this point, there are fewer treatment options and a much lower probability of survival.

Based on the laws of the jurisdiction where the doctor caused the delay, this may give rise to a claim for which a medical malpractice lawyer or in the most extreme case, a wrongful death attorney may be able to help you!.  Clearly, the above is meant simply as basic information regarding selected types of potential medical malpractice lawsuits rather than as legal or medical advice.  You should consult with a doctor about any medical problems or medical advice.

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