Family Compensated $2.5 Million For Death Of 27 Year Old Woman When Doctor Failed To Detect Cancer

Less than one percent of those diagnosed with colon cancer are younger than 35

. But, given the lethal nature of the disease physicians typically agree that the presence of rectal bleeding, even in someone under 35, needs to be followed by a colonoscopy in order to establish if the bleeding is due to a tumor or some other cause. Just supposing that the blood is the result of hemorrhoids does not meet the standard of care.

Consider what occurred in a reported lawsuit involving a woman who told her family doctor that she had blood in her stool and experienced pain when having bowel movements. The woman was just 24 years old. The physician, without even conducting an examination, told her to take a laxative after deciding that she had diarrhea and other bowel problems. She went back after 4 months with complaints of constipation, pain and problems sitting. On this occasion the physician finally examined her but told her she had hemorrhoids. The doctor recommended an enema. The woman went back to the physician 2 more times and each time was told she only had hemorrhoids and she had nothing to be concerned with.

She needed to be hurried to an emergency room complaining of intense pain 7 months after her first visit to her primary care physician. They set her up for a colonoscopy through which she was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. The woman had surgery (which as a consequence of how far the cancer had advanced included not just removal of part of her colon, it also required removal of her uterus and a portion of the lower intestines). The surgery was subsequently followed by chemotherapy. The woman subsequently had a recurrence and passed away from the disease less than three years after. Her husband and minor daughter survived her.

The law firm that represented the family documented that a jury come back with a verdict of $2.5 million. The amount included $350,000 the largest amount allowed for pain and suffering under the law of the State where the doctor practices. The rest of the award was for future lost wages. This claim shows what is perhaps the most common medical error concerning the delayed diagnosis of colon cancer.

When a matter like the one described above happens and the individual passes away because the cancer progressed so far that a cure was no longer possible as a result of the delay in diagnosis the surviving family may be able to bring a lawsuit against the doctor responsible for the delay.

by: Joseph Hernandez

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