MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE LAWYER

Definition of Cancer

The term cancer is a generic term that may be applied to a host of illnesses. Some examples of cancer are: Adrenal Cortical Cancer, Bile Duct Cancer, Castleman Disease, and Endometrial Cancer. There are many, many forms of cancer. When a person is said to suffer from cancer, it means that there are cells in the body of that person which are exhibiting uncontrollable growth - that is the common denominator among all the different forms of cancer. Cancer cells are abnormal because instead of dying at a normal rate like regular body cells, they keep growing and adding to the number of abnormal cells. Failure to properly deal with cancer by a healthcare provide may cause injury to the patient resulting in a compensation claim by a medical negligence lawyer.

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Types of Cancer

When cancer is present in a human body, a tumor generally is produced. But there are some forms of cancer which do not create tumors (like leukemia, cancer of the blood). Such cancers may travel through the blood to other parts of the body where abnormal growth of cells is induced. The process of spreading to other body parts is called metastasis.

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Cancer can be either benign or malignant

Benign means that the cancer cells are not expected to spread to other parts of the body. Malignant cancer cells, on the other hand, do spread and often quite quickly if left unchecked. This is why early detection is very important in the treatment of cancer. One of the main issues investigated by a medical negligence lawyer involved in a cancer claim usually relates to the efficiency and speed of diagnosis.

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Treatment of Cancer

Medical care has now progressed to the point that majority of cancers are treatable when diagnosed early at onset. Patients who die may have been misdiagnosed, delayed consulting their doctor or were afflicted with particularly aggressive types of cancer. The paramount rule in treating cancer is early detection - the sooner the cancer has been detected and diagnosed, the sooner treatment can be started.

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Risks of Misdiagnosis of Cancer

Doctors may misdiagnose or delay diagnosis of cancer for various reasons. The doctor could be overworked resulting in a less than satisfactory service to the patient. Records could have been lost or the patient's complaints ignored, inappropriate treatment administered, errors in conducting scans or x-rays, failure to interpret test results, inadequate monitoring of a patient who is known for a family history of cancer, inadequate examination of the patient, loss of interest in thoroughly checking symptoms, inexperience in detecting symptoms of cancer or failure to send the patient to a specialist. Misdiagnosed or delayed diagnosis of cancer may give grounds for a medical negligence lawyer to take action for compensation.

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False positive Mis-diagnosis

Cancer may be diagnosed when in fact the patient is free of cancer and it is known as a false positive. In this case, the patient may be unnecessarily psychologically and emotionally distressed. The patient may also be financially and physically strained by being forced to go through unnecessary treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy which are in themselves a threat to life and health and are often uncomfortable or painful. Again this may give grounds for a medical negligence lawyer to take action for compensation.

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Have Yourself Tested

Cancer is a very common disease in the UK where it is the second-leading cause of death. It is expected that 50% of all men as well as around 30% of all women will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. This being the case, it is advisable that members of the public are vigilant and self examine and have themselves tested for cancer in the event of any suspicion.

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MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE LAWYER