Lawsuit For Colon Cancer Death Of 27 Year Old After Physician Dismissed Her Complaints Of Rectal Bleeding
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-10-31 21:06:36 | Word Count: 535
It is estimated that less than one percent of those diagnosed with colon cancer are younger than thirty-five. Yet, given the deadly nature of the disease physicians generally acknowledge that the presence of rectal bleeding, even in a patient below 35, needs to be followed by a colonoscopy to establish the source of the bleeding Merely assuming that the blood is caused by hemorrhoids falls below the standard of care.
Take, for example, what occurred in a published claim involving a woman who told her primary care physician that she had blood in her stool and felt pain as she had bowel movements. She was only twenty four. The physician, justwithout even conducting an examination, prescribed a laxative after diagnosing her with diarrhea and other bowel issues. She went back after 4 months claiming she had constipation, pain and problems sitting. Now the doctor finally examined her but assured her she had hemorrhoids. His treatment: an enema. The woman went back to the doctor on 2 additional occassions and each time was reassured that she merely had hemorrhoids and she had nothing to be concerned with.
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The woman had to be rushed to an emergency room complaining of extreme pain seven months subsequent to her original trip to her primary care physician. They scheduled a colonoscopy and was found to have advanced colorectal cancer. The cancer was so widespread by the time she had surgery that not only did the surgeon need to take out a portion of her colon but also had to take out her uterus and part of her lower intestines. The woman then had to go through chemotherapy. The cancer came back and she died in less than three years. She was survived by her husband and daughter, a minor.
The law firm that represented the family documented that the matter went to trail and the jury returned a verdict of $2,500,000. The verdict included the maximum of $350,000 allowed for pain and suffering under the law of the State where the physician practices. The rest of the amount was for future lost wages. This claim shows what might be the most frequent medical error concerning a delay in the diagnosis of colon cancer.
Too often doctors do not do a colonoscopy or refer the person to a gastroenterologist when a patient reports rectal bleeding or blood in the stool. Rather, these doctors just assume that the symptom is the result of hemorrhoids. This is especially common if the person is under 50 years old.
When a matter like the one described above happens and the person passes away for the reason that the cancer spread to the point of not being curable because of the delay in diagnosis the surviving family may be able to bring a lawsuit against the physician who caused the delay.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting delayed diagnosis cases. You can learn more about cases involving colon cancer and stage 4 breast cancer by visiting the websites
