What’s the best way to handle a cancer misdiagnosis?

No one wants to learn that they have cancer, which is why it’s so easy to feel a sense of relief when you receive a diagnosis of a less serious illness.

Unfortunately, it’s possible for your medical team to make a mistake, thus leading to a delayed cancer diagnosis.

There are many reasons for a cancer misdiagnosis, such as:

• Doctors often overlook rare forms of the disease
• Symptoms of cancer are typically shared with symptoms of less serious ailments
• Medical professionals can make mistakes, such as when reading X-rays and reviewing lab results

What should you do next?

Just because your doctor says you don’t have cancer doesn’t necessarily make it true. It’s important to listen to your symptoms, which often means receiving a second opinion.

If you come to find that you have cancer, your immediate attention should turn to your treatment options. Work with your new doctor to better understand the type of cancer, treatment strategy and when to start.

As you begin to move in the right direction, ask and answer these questions:

• Do I need to visit another doctor to get a second opinion on which treatment strategy is best?
• What’s the best way to deal with a cancer diagnosis on a mental level?
• Did the original cancer misdiagnosis impact your health, such as by allowing the disease to spread?

The key at this point is to be as thorough as possible. There are questions you can answer on your own, as well as those that you should direct at your medical team. There’s no such thing as being overly thorough when facing a cancer diagnosis.

As you begin treatment and time allows, turn your attention to what went wrong with your original doctor. While doing so, collect any evidence that can back up your cancer misdiagnosis claim.

You have legal rights as a patient, and you may want to learn more about the many ways you can hold the doctor responsible for their mistake. Depending on the circumstances, you may be in position to file a medical malpractice lawsuit with the goal of obtaining compensation from the negligent party.

Visit our website and read our blog for more information on all forms of medical malpractice, including the misdiagnosis of cancer and other serious diseases.