Did a Doctor Fail to Properly Diagnose Prostate Cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 300,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. With early treatment, their chances of surviving are excellent. Almost all men with localized or regional prostate cancer will live at least 5 years after diagnosis.

Unfortunately, your doctor might have failed to catch the early warning signs. Consequently, treatment is delayed and cancer can spread to distant sites. Relative survival rates drop to under 40% when cancer has spread to a distant part of the body. Call our office to determine if you have a viable legal claim for delayed diagnosis.

How Doctors Catch Prostate Cancer

The prostate gland surrounds parts of the urethra. Shaped like a walnut, the prostate can become enlarged due to various medical conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia. But prostate cancer can also cause certain symptoms:

• Trouble urinating
• Increased frequency or urgency to urinate
• Blood in urine
• Erectile dysfunction

Most men have regular prostate screening, which consists of measuring antigen levels in the blood. If your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels increase, then a doctor might feel the prostate by performing a digital rectal exam.

Biopsy is the preferred method of diagnosing prostate cancer. Your urologist should remove tiny samples from the prostate and look at them under the microscope for signs of cancer.

Why Doctors Fail to Catch Prostate Cancer

Unfortunately, your medical team might fail to diagnose prostate cancer. A doctor could overlook PSA levels or fail to recommend a biopsy. Because cancer symptoms mimic other non-cancerous conditions, a doctor might tell you nothing is wrong.

Other reasons for a delayed diagnosis include mixed-up PSA tests or biopsy results, doctor burnout, or lost records.

Whatever the reason, a delayed diagnosis allows cancer to spread. When a doctor finally diagnoses you with prostate cancer, the cancer cells have possibly spread to bones or other organs. Unfortunately, the relative survival rates are much lower when cancer metastasizes. The relative survival rate is only 37.9% after five years once cancer spreads.

A patient can also incur more medical expenses, including the costs of radiation or hormone therapy. When the cancer spreads to bones, patients can experience agonizing pain, which also deserves compensation.

Contact our office to discuss whether you can bring a lawsuit. We have sought damages for medical malpractice, including delayed cancer diagnosis. Our clients can request damages for medical treatment, lost income, and increase in their pain and suffering. If a loved one dies, then you might request wrongful death damages under Florida law.

Speak with a Miami Delayed Cancer Diagnosis Lawyer

When caught early, prostate cancer is merely a bump in the road for most men. But delayed diagnosis can have tragic results. Cancer patients and their families deserve answers, as well as compensation. Contact Pita Weber Del Prado today.

In a free consultation, we can discuss your diagnosis as well as when you first noticed symptoms. We can also discuss what steps your medical team took or failed to take. Call us today to schedule a free consultation with a Miami failure to diagnose cancer lawyer.

Sources:

cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

cdc.gov/united-states-cancer-statistics/publications/prostate-cancer-stat-bite.html