January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month January 15, 2017.
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and although we’ve come so far in diagnosing and treating it, medical negligence still occurs more than it should.
According to recent reports, cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under 35 with roughly 3,000 ladies being diagnosed annually in countries like the UK. For those in the UK, this is almost as common as HPV (human papillomavirus).
Early symptoms can include abnormal bleeding, pain during intercourse and discharge. If the cancer has spread outside of the cervix, things such as constipation, blood in urine, bone pain, tiredness, weight loss, severe back pain and swelling in one leg can potentially mean the cancer is metastasizing.
Inevitably medical mistakes are bound to happen and not every mistake is considered negligent, nor is it something a doctor sets out to do. Often times, in order to prove negligence, there must be a delay in your diagnosis or proof that your condition could have gotten better with additional or different treatment plans.
Below are three general questions that can help guide you for informational purposes only.
What types of medical errors can be made in cervical cancer cases that result in negligence?
- Misread pap smears
- Failure to biopsy
- Malignant biopsy interpreted as benign
- Failure to conduct follow up testing
- Missed test results
- Delays in diagnosis
- Delays in treatment
- Improper treatment
What kind of injuries can occur if you’ve suffered negligence?
Failure to properly diagnose or treat can result in different types of injuries such as the metastasizing of the cancer, an impact on fertility or life expectancy as well as the need for a more aggressive treatment.
What can be done to help?
Pursue a negligence claim. Speak with an attorney that specializes in this area and see what your options are. No one deserves negligence and although not done intentionally, it can wreak havoc on your life or future.
