Cancer Lawyer Assists Victims Of Metastatic Colon Cancer Whose Physician Dismissed Their Complaints
Saturday, February 13th, 2010One of the categories of lawsuits pursued by a cancer lawyer are those that deal with colon cancer. Among the situations that most often happen result from a doctor having told a patient that the blood they detected in their stool was due simply to hemorrhoids when in reality the patient actually has colon cancer. Among the other most often seen delayed diagnosis cases involve advanced breast cancer, advanced prostate cancer and advanced colon cancer. Let’s, however, maintain focus on colon cancer.
One pattern that occurs far too often involves a physician telling a patient with complaints of blood in the stool that the patient actually has hemorrhoids and there is nothing to worry about. Yet, the blood is really due to colon cancer all along. How does this happen and what options does the individual and his or her family have when it does happen?
First it is important to realize is that the majority of physicians acknowledge that if a patient presents with rectal bleeding or blood in the stool a colonoscopy needs to be performed in order to figure out the cause of the blood. The colonoscopy is a procedure that helps determine whether the blood is the consequence of colon cancer or something else such as hemorrhoids. However just concluding that the blood is a result of hemorrhoids, without performing appropriate tests, risks not finding a cancer.
When a patient with rectal bleeding undergoes a colonoscopy and the cancer is discovered before it has spread to the lymph nodes or to other organs, the cancer can, in many cases, be removed by taking it out during the colonoscopy if it is sufficiently small or by surgically removing the part of the colon containing the tumor. So a postponement in diagnosing the cancer and treating the patient that is sufficient to allow the cancer make it to an advanced stage will require that the patient go through additional or further treatments and significantly reduces the probability that the patient will survive the cancer.If enough time goes by before the patient is diagnosed the cancer will advanced to a late stage. When the cancer reaches a late stage the patient has reduced treatment options and is more likely to die as a result of cancer.
Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction in which the doctor caused the delay, this might give rise to a claim for which a medical negligence attorney may be able to assist you!. Obviously, the above is meant merely as commonly available information concerning some categories of potential medical malpractice cases rather than as legal or medical advice. You need to consult with a doctor regarding any medical problems or medical advice.
