When breast cancer is not diagnosed in time

It can be truly devastating when breast cancer is not diagnosed quickly enough, whether it’s due to an initial misdiagnosis, or problems getting scans, referrals and results.

Like with other cancers, it can spread into other areas of the body. If left untreated for too long, the cancer can spread to the point where there’s simply nothing more that can be done.

For those patients who are fortunate enough to be able to make a recovery, a late diagnosis can still leave you with long-term health problems and a great deal of suffering. That’s why it’s important to know your rights when it comes to medical negligence personal injury compensation claims.

How it can happen

There can be a number of reasons that ultimately lead to a situation where breast cancer is not diagnosed when it should have been.

You may be entitled to make a claim for medical negligence compensation in scenarios that include:

• An incorrect diagnosis, where a lump (for example) is dismissed as something non-cancerous;
• Errors with scans that lead to the wrong results being given, or where results are late, as examples;
• Not receiving an invitation for treatment or screening (this happened in the big NHS breast cancer screening scandal that we’re representing people for);
• A failure to refer you to a specialist when there were signs that meant that this would have been the correct course of action.

Some patients in the past have been dismissed when they have sought help for problems that fall into the category of breast cancer signs. As a firm who dealt with a lot of the PIP Breast Implant scandal clients, we know that factors such as breast implants can lead to a patient not being referred.

What you can claim for when breast cancer is not diagnosed

If your breast cancer is not diagnosed in time, you may be able to claim personal injury compensation for any additional suffering and loss that’s caused.

This can be things like further pain, additional complications (typical when cancer has been allowed to spread), and any long-term impact. For breast cancer, you may need to have a full mastectomy, but if this could have been avoided with an earlier diagnosis, this can form as part of a case. You could claim for private reconstruction surgery, as an easy example.

If the cancer spreads and you perhaps need lymph nodes removing, that could also be an additional part of a case.

You can also claim for any losses and expenses, like lost earnings from time off work for treatment and surgery. There’s also the psychological impact of being told that you have had cancer all along when you thought you were OK, which can be really significant given the nature of the disease and the potential for it to be fatal. The shock of finding out what has happened can be significant.

Free, no-obligation advice

We’re always happy to offer free, no-obligation advice for cases like this where breast cancer is not diagnosed quickly enough.

If we think that there’s a successful case to answer, we can also offer No Win, No Fee representation as well.

Feel free to contact the team on 0800 634 75 75 today.