Cancer negligence is an incredibly serious form of medical malpractice.
Unfortunately, it can happen to anyone seeking or receiving treatment. Patients in the UK have been known to experience delayed cancer diagnosis, incorrect treatment, and even to receive a cancer diagnosis when they never had any cancer in the first place. No matter the specific circumstances, any form of cancer negligence is a serious breach of trust and duty of care.
Whether you’ve personally encountered cancer negligence or you’re supporting someone else, it’s always worth knowing how to spot and report this potentially devastating situation correctly.
How prevalent is cancer in the UK?
According to figures from leading cancer charity Macmillan, there are at least 3 million people living with cancer in the UK. Due to the ageing and increasing population, this figure is estimated to rise to 3.5 million by 2025.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be an incredibly upsetting moment for anyone. Along with facing months of potentially painful and unpleasant immunotherapy treatment, some people with cancer receive a poor prognosis, meaning that doctors think they only have a certain amount of time left.
Living with cancer is difficult enough with proper care, but the situation can soon turn catastrophic if medical malpractice or misdiagnosis occur. In that situation, consulting a professional medical negligence lawyer is just one step towards finding appropriate justice and support.
How to identify cancer negligence: Key examples
Cancer negligence can take various forms. These include:
- Delayed cancer diagnosis: Most forms of cancer are more treatable when they’re identified at an early stage. Delayed diagnosis is linked to a wide range of unpleasant consequences, including shorter lifespans and avoidable pain.
- Cancer misdiagnosis: Across the UK, people have experienced incorrect diagnoses. One woman from Stratford-upon-Avon has been given just months to live after her GP told her that a lump, which later turned out to be cancer, was ‘nothing to worry about’.
- Misinterpreted test results: Occasionally, cancer patients incorrectly receive the all-clear when they’re still suffering from the disease.
- Incorrect or inappropriate treatment: Issues with prescriptions or other medication, including chemotherapy, can prolong suffering unnecessarily. Occasionally, healthy people undergo immunotherapy after an incorrect cancer diagnosis.
If any of these examples apply to you or someone you know, they might be upsetting and very difficult to talk about. However, it’s imperative that you seek support as soon as possible, as this could help to reduce or mitigate your suffering.
Conclusion: Timely reporting for faster remediation
The process of responding to cancer negligence can only be initiated once it has been correctly identified and reported. If you’re confident that you or someone close to you has experienced any form of cancer negligence, your first port of call should be contacting an expert negligence lawyer.
With professional support, you can navigate the time-consuming and often emotionally challenging processes that follow. You might need to go to court, but there’s a strong chance that you could be owed compensation from the health services who failed to provide you with the correct care and treatment.