subject: Lawsuit For Colon Cancer Death Of Twenty-seven Year Old When Doctor Misdiagnosed Her Symptoms [print this page] Less than one percent people diagnosed with colon cancer are younger than thirty-five. Yet, given the fact that colon cancer can be fatal physicians generally acknowledge that rectal bleeding, even in a patient below thirty-five, needs to be investigated by a colonoscopy so as to establish the source of the bleeding Just supposing that the blood is caused by hemorrhoids does not meet the standard of care.
Consider what occurred in a published lawsuit regarding a woman who told her family doctor that she saw blood in her stool and felt pain when having bowel movements. She was just twenty four years old. The doctor, justwithout even doing an examination, prescribed a laxative after diagnosing her with diarrhea and other bowel issues. She went back after 4 months with complaints of constipation, pain and problems sitting. On this occasion the doctor at last examined her but assured her she had hemorrhoids. His treatment: an enema. She went back to the doctor two more times and each time was told that her symptoms were due to hemorrhoids and she had nothing to be concerned with.
She had to be hurried to an emergency room complaining of extreme pain 7 months subsequent to her original trip to the family physician. They set her up for a colonoscopy through which she was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. The cancer was so widespread by the time she underwent surgery that not only did the surgeon need to remove a portion of her colon but in addition had to remove her uterus and a section of her lower intestines. The surgery was later followed by chemotherapy. The cancer returned and the woman died in under three years. She was survived by her husband and daughter, a minor.
The law firm that handled this case documented that the matter went to trail and the jury awarded the family a sum of $2.5 million. The award included the maximum of $350,000 permitted for pain and suffering by the law of the State where the physician practices. The rest of the award was for future lost wages. This claim illustrates what is perhaps the most frequent medical mistake concerning the delayed diagnosis of colon cancer.
When a matter such as the one described above happens and the person passes away due to the fact the cancer progressed to the point of not being curable as a result of the delay in diagnosis the surviving family may be able to bring a lawsuit against the physician responsible for the delay.
