Can I Claim Compensation For A Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis?

According to Prostate Cancer UK, around 1 in 8 men will experience prostate cancer throughout their lifetime, and every hour, a man dies from prostate cancer in England, highlighting how common a form of cancer it is. 

A prostate cancer misdiagnosis can occur when a healthcare professional fails to reach the standard expected of them and misdiagnoses prostate cancer as another condition, or fails to diagnose prostate cancer completely. 

Continue reading to learn how you could be eligible to make a medical negligence prostate cancer misdiagnosis claim, or use our contact details below to be connected with one of our advisors. 

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A doctor holds up a ribbon for prostate cancer cases

Frequently Asked Questions 

  1. Could I Claim For A Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis?
  2. How Can Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Be Caused By Negligence?
  3. How Many Men Will Develop Prostate Cancer?
  4. What Are The Common Prostate Cancer Symptoms?
  5. Examples Of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Errors
  6. Is Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Common?
  7. What Are The Implications Of Misdiagnosed Prostate Cancer?
  8. How Can Prostate Cancer Be Treated?
  9. Why Choose Accident Claims After A Misdiagnosis Of Prostate Cancer
  10. Learn More

Could I Claim For A Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis?

You could be eligible to claim for prostate cancer misdiagnosis if your case meets the eligibility criteria. In order to prove this, we must establish three components present in your claim:

  1. A medical professional owed you a duty of care
  2. They breached this duty 
  3. Their breach led to you suffering avoidable and unnecessary harm.

The first thing we must determine is whether you are owed a duty of care. As a patient, you are owed a duty of care by all medical professionals who treat you in any capacity. This duty expands to doctors, nurses and pharmacists too. 

The duty of care that healthcare professionals owe to you is that they should offer care and treatment which meets the minimum expected standard of them. They can do this by:

  • Properly appreciating any concerns or symptoms you have 
  • Ensuring they provide correct medical advice, such as ensuring they advise how much medication to take 
  • Ordering further testing where necessary 

We go into depth below with examples of how negligence could result in a prostate cancer misdiagnosis; however, if you’d like a free claim evaluation, then please get in touch with us today. Our advisors are available to answer any questions you might have. 

A young man shows signs of urinary tract infection prostatitis

How Can Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Be Caused By Negligence?

Prostate cancer misdiagnosis can occur in a number of different ways, particularly if it is mistaken for another condition or your test results are mishandled. 

Below, we explore a few examples of how negligence could lead to misdiagnosis:

  • Your doctor might not take your concerns seriously and fail to order the necessary tests, such as a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or a biopsy. 
  • If your doctor fails to consider your known risk factors for prostate cancer, such as age or family history, this could lead to a misdiagnosis. 
  • If a urologist incorrectly interprets your PSA test results and diagnoses you with benign prostatic hyperplasia. 
  • Your biopsy results are mishandled, meaning the sample is contaminated. This results in a false negative diagnosis, causing your prostate cancer to remain untreated. 

These are not the only ways in which negligence could lead to a prostate cancer misdiagnosis, so if your claim specifics differ, please don’t worry. Get in touch with our advisors today, and they can discuss the validity of your claim. 

How Many Men Will Develop Prostate Cancer?

Between 2017 and 2019, according to Cancer Research UK, there were 55,093 new diagnoses of prostate cancer. As well as this, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with nearly half of all diagnoses being diagnosed at a later stage of 3 and 4.

However, more recent research carried out by Prostate Cancer UK indicates that this figure may have risen to roughly 56,000 new diagnoses per year.

What Are The Common Prostate Cancer Symptoms?

The most common symptoms of prostate cancer include:

  • Difficulty urinating or straining when trying to urinate 
  • Sensation of needing to urinate often or urgently 
  • Blood when passing urine 
  • Erectile dysfunction 
  • Lower back pain 
  • Unexplained weight loss 
  • Unusually tired or weak 

Examples Of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Errors

Prostate cancer shows signs and symptoms which might be confused with other conditions, particularly conditions such as:

  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia: The prostate gland can enlarge when men age, which is generally a normal process. As the prostate enlarges, it might push against the urethra, presenting similar symptoms to those of prostate cancer.
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs): These infections can cause a burning sensation as well as an urgency to urinate, both symptoms of prostate cancer. 
  • Prostatitis: When the prostate gland becomes inflamed, it can also result in pain and urinary issues. These symptoms can, in some cases, be chronic and mimic the same signs of prostate cancer. 

This list is not exhaustive, so if your prostate cancer was misdiagnosed as a condition we haven’t listed, please contact us today. Our advisors are available to discuss the particulars of your own claim. 

Is Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis Common?

Published in the Cancer Registration Statistics in 2020, it was found that 49% of all diagnoses of prostate cancer were late diagnoses of stage 3 and 4. 

Although this isn’t representative of misdiagnosed cases, it shows how many individuals are diagnosed at a later stage, potentially as a result of previous misdiagnosis or their symptoms and risk factors being missed. 

A doctor holds up a ribbon for those diagnosed with prostate cancer

 

What Are The Implications Of Misdiagnosed Prostate Cancer?

Similar to most types of cancer, the earlier it is detected, the higher the chance of survival. If prostate cancer is misdiagnosed, it also remains untreated, which could lead to advanced prostate cancer, posing a risk of further growth and spread.

 In some severe cases, this cancer can spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, local tissues and other organs. In these cases, survival rates are hugely reduced, and it may necessitate more complex treatment. 

Get in touch with our advisors today to discuss how prostate cancer misdiagnosis has impacted your life, and learn how we could help you.

How Can Prostate Cancer Be Treated?

Prostate cancer in some situations mightn’t require the need for extensive treatment, particularly if the cancer hasn’t spread. In these situations, your cancer might just be monitored to see how it is growing and the risk it might have of spreading. 

Prostate cancer typically develops slowly, and in specific cases can have little to no impact on your life. 

However, in cases where the cancer is more aggressive, your specialist care team might advise treatments such as:

  • Surgical removal
  • Hormone therapy 
  • Radiotherapy 
  • Chemotherapy (in cases where the cancer has spread)

Specialist lawyers discuss how to make a prostate cancer claim

Why Choose Accident Claims After A Misdiagnosis Of Prostate Cancer

Our solicitors here at Accident Claims work on a No Win No Fee basis. What this means is that they utilise a contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement; this is a beneficial way of instructing a solicitor, as it means you would have no upfront payments for a solicitor to begin work on your case. 

As well as this, if your claim were to fail, then you would have no payments to make towards our solicitors’ services, preventing mounting legal fees. 

If your claim was successful, a legally capped percentage would be payable from your compensation to cover the work of your solicitor; this is limited under the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 to ensure that you receive the bulk of your compensation. 

By instructing one of our expert solicitors, you could expect:

  • Regular, clear and simple updates about your claim 
  • Support in connecting you with medical professionals who could aid in your recovery, such as cancer specialists, physiotherapists and psychiatrists 
  • Help with gathering any evidence needed to support your claim  
  • Negotiating a suitable settlement that is reflective of the pain and suffering caused

This isn’t all that our solicitors could help you with; they have decades of experience advocating for claimants just like yourself. Contact us using the details below to be connected with one of our advisors. If your case is eligible, they could connect you to one of our specialist medical negligence solicitors.  

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