Taking action for a provider’s failure to diagnose cancer

Many Ann Arbor residents do their best to take care of their health. They eat right and exercise. They may give up or cut down on bad habits. And they see their doctor regularly, sometimes seeking out preventive screening and similar tests with the goal of catching any dangerous conditions in the earliest possible stages.

Early screening for cancer is unfortunately not a guarantee against a doctor, radiologist or other provider’s possible negligence. As we saw last week, misreading or misinterpreting test results can lead to a failure to diagnose cancer. The news that a medical professional has failed a patient in this way can be devastating, especially because the undetected disease can then spread to a stage where treatment may no longer be as effective. It may be impossible to treat.

There’s also the possibility that a doctor did diagnose your cancer early on, but failed to treat it properly. He or she may not have recommended actions that are in line with modern technology, or may have suggested things outside the realm of acceptable practice. In either case, your doctor’s decisions may constitute medical malpractice.

Seeking compensation for a failure to diagnose cancer can be a nuanced process, because your doctor didn’t cause your cancer in the first place — he or she can only be argued to have worsened your condition because of the delay in diagnosis. At Goethel Engelhardt PLLC, we help victims of diagnosis errors make the case in court. We put over 30 years of experience to work on your behalf, no matter how complicated the claims involved.

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