It is estimated that less than one percent people diagnosed with colon cancer are under the age of 35. But, because of the lethal nature of the disease physicians typically acknowledge that rectal bleeding, even in someone below thirty-five, should be investigated by a colonoscopy in order to establish the source of the bleeding Simply supposing that the blood is caused by hemorrhoids does not meet the standard of care.
Take, for example, what happened in a reported case regarding a woman who told her primary care physician that she noticed blood in her stool and felt pain as she had bowel movements. The woman was only 24. The doctor, justwithout even performing an examination, told her to take a laxative after diagnosing her with diarrhea and other bowel issues. The woman went back after 4 months with complaints of constipation, pain and problems sitting. This time the physician finally examined her yet assured her she had hemorrhoids. His treatment: an enema. She went back to the physician 2 more times and every time was told she merely had hemorrhoids and she had nothing to worry about.
The woman had to be rushed to an emergency room because of extreme pain 7 months after her original visit to her primary care physician. They set her up for a colonoscopy through which she was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. The cancer was so widespread by the time she underwent surgery that not only did the surgeon need to take out a portion of her colon but in addition had to remove her uterus and a section of her lower intestines. The surgery was later followed by chemotherapy. The cancer returned and the woman died in under three years. Her husband and minor daughter survived her.
The law firm that represented the family documented that the case went to trail and the jury awarded the family a sum of $2,500,000. The award included the maximum of $350,000 allowed for pain and suffering under the law of the State where the doctor practices. The rest was for future lost wages. This lawsuit is just one example of what is perhaps the most frequent medical mistake regarding a delay in the diagnosis of colon cancer.
Too often doctors do not order a colonoscopy or send the person to a specialist when a individual reports rectal bleeding or blood in the stool. Rather, these physicians just assume that the blood is due to hemorrhoids. This is especially typical if the person is less than fifty.
When a matter like that above occurs and the patient dies due to the fact the cancer spread so far that a cure was no longer possible due to the delay in diagnosis the surviving family may be able to bring a case against the physician who caused the delay.
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting medical malpractice cases and wrongful death cases. You can learn more about cases involving
advanced colon cancer including
stage 3 colon cancer by visiting the website
