Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of cancers affecting women, only coming second after breast cancer. Early detection often results in improved outcomes because the disease progresses slowly. When a healthcare provider fails to make a timely diagnosis or makes a misdiagnosis, the results can be devastating.
If you or your loved one has been the victim of a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer, you may be entitled to compensation. Talk to a Suffolk County cervical cancer lawyer about your options. A skilled medical malpractice attorney could help you determine if you have a claim and get you started on pursuing compensation from the responsible parties.
Many cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus spread through sexual contact. Cervical cancer develops slowly over time, often with no symptoms.
Although it is hard to detect the disease in its early stages, symptoms such as watery/foul-smelling vaginal discharge, pain during sex, and abnormal bleeding between periods, after sexual intercourse, or after menopause should warrant a visit to the doctor. Detecting cervical cancer in its early stages is the most important factor in choosing a treatment path. However, other factors also influence a patient’s course of treatment, including the location of the cancer within the cervix, the age of the patient, overall health, type of cervical cancer, and whether the patient desires to bear children. Some of the treatment options available to cervical cancer patients are surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and chemotherapy.
Preventing cervical cancer focuses on safer sex, cervical cancer vaccination, and regular cervical screening (pap smear). Pap smears are especially important as they can help detect abnormal changes in the cervical cells. If a doctor fails to make a timely diagnosis even with regular screenings, a cervical cancer attorney in Suffolk County could help determine if there was medical negligence.
Regular pap smears are excellent at detecting the presence of abnormal cells. If a medical provider detects the presence of such cells, they should order further diagnostic tests such as a colposcopy, endocervical sampling, and a biopsy, if necessary. biopsy, among other follow-up testing. If these tests confirm the presence of cervical cancer, especially in its early stages, successful treatment is possible.
However, medical providers all too often fail to make the correct or timely diagnosis, denying women the advantages of early detention and more treatment options. Our cervical cancer attorneys focus their investigation on determining whether the Suffolk County doctor or testing lab made a mistake. Some top reasons for cervical cancer misdiagnosis include:
There is no room for error when it comes to cervical cancer screening. If a medical practitioner fails to take the patient’s full medical history, fails to thoroughly investigate symptoms, or makes testing errors, there could be grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Cervical cancer can cause serious harm. Late diagnosis is especially tragic as it could mean more invasive treatment, which often comes with traumatic side effects. As the disease progresses and spreads to other regions of the body, it becomes harder to treat and could sadly result in premature death.
If you suspect that you have been misdiagnosed, seek other opinions as soon as possible. In addition, schedule a free and confidential consultation with a Suffolk County cervical cancer lawyer at Duffy & Duffy to establish if medical negligence was involved. We will help you investigate whether your healthcare provider made errors or was negligent so you can recover the compensation you deserve.
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