Chicago Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyers
Early detection is crucial for patients with prostate cancer, as the five-year survival rate drops sharply if the illness goes undiagnosed and spreads through the body. Unfortunately, many men with prostate cancer do not receive the early treatment they need because of misdiagnosis errors.
If this happened to you, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. can help you seek accountability and compensation for the harm you have endured. Let us handle the legal work and fight for fair compensation on your behalf while you concentrate on your treatments.
Call now or complete our contact form for a free case review and consultation with a Chicago prostate cancer misdiagnosis lawyer.
How Working with an Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer from Our Firm Can Make a Significant Difference
The attorneys with Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. have decades of experience and a proven record of success. We have recovered over $2.5 billion in settlements and verdicts for our clients, including the highest compensatory award for a single plaintiff in Illinois legal history.
We are also proud of the positive feedback from our clients, including this recent testimonial:
“My wife found Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard after a delay in my cancer diagnosis. Right away we knew it was the right place for us. My lawyers didn’t waste any time and immediately got to work on my case. They treated us with respect and were reassuring during the deposition process. I couldn’t believe the result my lawyers were able to obtain for my case. I would definitely recommend this law firm to anyone in need of outstanding, honest legal representation.” — Cesar I.
You can expect this same level of respect and professionalism if you work with us. Trust our Chicago cancer misdiagnosis attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. to defend your rights when your health and financial future are on the line.
How Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Happens
Some common medical errors that cause prostate cancer misdiagnosis cases include the following.
Failure to Perform Necessary Tests
Prostate cancer can go undiagnosed when doctors fail to perform essential tests or if a doctor diagnoses a patient with a less serious condition. One major diagnosis error is not ordering a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, which helps doctors detect prostate cancer early. However, some may ignore abnormal test results even if they order a PSA test. Another common mistake is skipping a digital rectal exam (DRE), which allows doctors to feel for lumps or other signs of cancer on the prostate directly. These oversights can allow the disease to spread and make it harder to treat.
Misinterpretation of Test Results
Errors in reading test results can cause dangerous delays in diagnosing prostate cancer. Lab mistakes, such as faulty equipment or sample mix-ups, can cause incorrect PSA readings, which may lead doctors to believe a patient is healthy when they are not. Furthermore, doctors may misread or misclassify biopsy findings, even when they have accurate test results. Similarly, doctors sometimes mistake prostate cancer for a benign condition like prostatitis if they assume a patient’s symptoms are due to inflammation rather than a growing tumor. Patients who experience these errors may have grounds for a prostate cancer false negative biopsy lawsuit.
Delayed Diagnosis or Failure to Refer to a Specialist
Doctors sometimes dismiss early symptoms like trouble urinating or pelvic pain even though they are common warning signs of prostate cancer. Instead of investigating further, they might assume the patient’s symptoms are minor or unrelated, leading to a dangerous diagnosis delay. Additionally, while general physicians play a key role in the healthcare sector, some fail to refer patients with prostate cancer warnings to specialists like urologists or oncologists for more in-depth testing. Even when a doctor suspects a patient has cancer, delays in scheduling biopsies or follow-up tests can give the disease time to grow and spread. This can make treatment more difficult and may reduce a patient’s recovery chances. Patients whose cancer spreads due to stalled biopsies or follow-up tests may have cause for a delayed prostate cancer diagnosis compensation claim.
The Severe Consequences of a Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
Failure to diagnose cancer early can have drastic consequences for prostate cancer patients, including the following:
- Progression to Advanced, Less Treatable Stages – Prostate cancer becomes harder to treat as it spreads through the body, increasing the chances of severe symptoms and potential death for patients.
- Need for More Aggressive Treatments (Radiation, Chemotherapy, Surgery) – As cancer spreads through the body, patients need more aggressive treatments to combat the disease. These treatments often come with painful, debilitating side effects, making the treatment process worse.
- Increased Risk of Metastasis (Cancer Spreading to Bones or Other Organs) – Prostate cancer can spread if patients do not receive an accurate, early diagnosis. The disease may be more difficult or impossible to treat if it spreads through the body.
- Emotional and Financial Stress on Patients and Their Families – Patients with prostate cancer and their families often experience more anxiety after a delayed diagnosis because the patient’s survival chances are lower. The more aggressive treatments necessary to treat late-stage cancer can also put more financial stress on patients and their families, with the rising costs of medical bills and treatment often creating a heavy burden.
- Decreased Survival Rates and Wrongful Death Cases – As is the case for all cancers, prostate cancer is easier to treat and less fatal when diagnosed correctly and early. By contrast, a delayed or incorrect diagnosis decreases a patient’s survival chances and can lead to preventable deaths.
When Does a Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Qualify as Medical Malpractice?
The key legal issue in prostate cancer misdiagnosis claims is whether the misdiagnosis resulted from a doctor or other healthcare provider’s failure to provide treatment in accordance with the relevant standard of care.
The standard of care is broadly defined as what another professional of similar experience and training would have done under identical circumstances. For example, a doctor should order a PSA test for a patient who has multiple prostate cancer warning signs. Their failure to do so may be medical malpractice.
Contact Our Skilled Medical Malpractice Attorneys for a Free Consultation
You deserve a chance to hold your healthcare providers accountable for a mistake that kept you from receiving the treatment you need for prostate cancer. Call Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. today or reach out online for a free, no-obligation consultation. A Chicago prostate cancer misdiagnosis lawyer from our law firm can review your case and help you explore your legal options. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for your case.
