Colon cancer railroad lawsuits Cancer Lawsuit Settlement

You may be able make a claim if you or someone you know was misdiagnosed with colon cancer. These cases could lead to personal injury or lawsuits for wrongful death.

In 2008 and 2009, the plaintiff went to the defendant's office with complaints of rectal bleeding, constipation, burning and abdominal pain. The doctor told her that the symptoms could be caused by hemorrhoids, and advised her to alter her diet.

Causes

Colon cancer, also referred to as colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer that occurs when abnormal cells in the colon or rectum develop out of control. A person's risk of getting this kind of cancer increases with age and certain lifestyle elements such as a diet that is high in fat smoking cigarettes and drinking too many drinks. A family history of this kind of cancer is also a factor.

The disease may be aggravated by chronic exposure to environmental toxins. Drinking water that is contaminated with heavy metals like lead and arsenic along with organic pollutants, including disinfection products and pesticides, can cause colon cancer. These contaminants are present in the drinking water supply at Camp Lejeune.

Failure to conduct routine screenings, such as a colonoscopy, could lead to a mistaken diagnosis of this condition. Patients who suffer from this type of medical error could be required to undergo nonessential surgery which can result in extra costs as well as unnecessary pain and suffering.

A patient who is diagnosed with cancer because of a missed diagnosis could file a medical malpractice suit against the clinic or doctor for failing the meet the professional standards. A successful lawsuit can aid the victim to recover past and future costs. Depending on the type of cancer, patients can claim compensation for lost wages as well as medical bills and other damages.

Signs and symptoms

Colon cancer causes abdominal pain, blood in the stool and diarrhea. It can also cause fatigue and weight loss. It can spread to lymph nodes as well as distant organs like the liver and lungs. Most colon cancers begin in the colon's lining and rectum. The early detection of colon cancer can save lives. It is a tumor that grows slowly.

Nearly all colon cancers begin as noncancerous (benign) polyps which slowly progress into tumors. Some inherited diseases also increase the risk of colon cancer. Alcohol consumption and smoking along with the consumption of a diet with low fiber and lots of fat, increase the risk of colon carcinoma.

A doctor should carry out regular screening tests using a sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, especially for people over age 50. The test through an primary care physician, gastroenterologist or urologist.

Anyone who is experiencing symptoms of colon cancer should consult an experienced doctor as soon as possible. Medical malpractice could occur if the doctor fails to detect colon cancer before it advances.

Diagnosis

Early detection of colorectal or colon cancer is crucial to its treatment. However patients should be proactive about their health and report any changes to a physician. They should be screened regularly for colon cancer. This includes the annual Fecal Occurrt Blood Test (FOBT) and the routine colonoscopy.

These tests can help to identify polyps and early stage colon cancer. They can also detect precancerous adenomas that could later develop into colon cancer. The risk of a patient getting colon cancer could be increased by certain risk factors. These factors can include a medical history which may include previous colon cancer or polyps that are not cancerous or have a bowel disease like Crohn's disease or colitis. Most colon cancer patients are older than 50.

If doctors fail to properly test for or diagnose Colon cancer railroad cancer settlements cancer, they could be liable for infractions. This could happen if they do not recognize or interpret a patient's symptoms, fail conduct or accurately interpret the results of laboratory tests or histopathology slides, or fail to follow up on abnormal test results. A lawsuit against a negligent doctor Lawsuits may result in compensation for medical bills and other damages.

Treatment

Colon cancer treatment includes radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. Based on the severity of your condition the doctor may decide to remove all or a portion of your colon. They may also remove lymph nodes close by. In some instances, doctors treat the tumor with targeted drugs or immunotherapy. The targeted drugs block your immune system from being able to recognize and kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy targets cancer cells' proteins.

Our lawyers have reviewed medical records from several colon misdiagnosis lawsuits. We have found that the damage in these cases is much lower than in other kinds of medical malpractice cases. It is because colon cancer has a much higher survival rate than many other types of cancer.

A family in West Virginia settled their medical negligence case with two doctors who failed to recognize the colon cancer of their husband. The doctors missed an opportunity to conduct regular colon screenings and ignored symptoms that were reported by his family.

In a separate case of medical malpractice the jury awarded $469,000 for past medical bills and $8 million in non-economic damages to the family of a man who had died from cancer of the Colon cancer settlements stage IV after the primary medical practitioner failed to detect it. The defense argued that the man had a rare form of cancer that was harder to detect, and that a earlier diagnosis would not have saved his life.