National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - What to Do If Your Breast Cancer Was Misdiagnosed October 10, 2017.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it’s a good time to take a look at some staggering facts about the second most fatal cancer known to medicine today.

Breast Cancer Statistics

BreastCancer.org reports that:

1 in 8 women, or about 12%, will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
In 2017, it is estimated that 316,120 women will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer, nearly 80% of which will be invasive.
Although mortality rates associated with breast cancer have been steadily decreasing due to technological advancement in the healthcare industry, it is estimated that 40,610 women will lose their lives to breast cancer in 2017.
85% of breast cancer develops in women with no family history of the disease.

Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis

While proactive medical screening in older women and women with a family history of breast cancer can be helpful with early detection, the truth is that many times, breast cancer is misdiagnosed, subsequently leading to a delay in treatment.

In Delay in Breast Cancer: Implications for Stage at Diagnosis and Survival by Lee Caplan, the author reports "the 5-year survival in women who were treated by surgery and had treatment delay of more than 6 weeks was 80% compared with 90% in those with treatment delay of <2 weeks. In multivariate analysis, longer treatment delay was a significant risk factor for shorter survival."

When a delay in treatment adversely affects your survival rate, it matters.

Holding Physicians Responsible for Misdiagnosis

Physicians have a duty of care to their patients to accurately interpret diagnostic testing and order the appropriate treatment in a timely manner. If they fail to do so, they may be held accountable for medical malpractice.

At the Mellino Law Firm, we have significant experience working with patients who have suffered as a result of a breast cancer misdiagnosis and are committed to providing each of our clients with compassionate, comprehensive legal advocacy. We can help you determine if you too were the victim of misdiagnosis and what compensation you may be entitled to as a result.