Substantial Settlement for Family of Bladder Cancer Patient
January 2, 2018 in News
Even after a cancer is initially diagnosed or treated, medical negligence can still follow. Sullivan Papain Block McManus Coffinas & Cannavo, P.C. represented a plaintiff whose doctors failed to properly assess his post-surgical condition and negligently dismissed his subsequent claims of extreme pain.
Our client, “Jim” was a 50-year-old father of four who was diagnosed with Stage 1 bladder cancer.
Jim’s urologist assured him that his condition was curable with the surgical removal of the cancerous tumor from his bladder. Jim went forward with the surgery and was told it was a success; the urologist erroneously told him that the entire cancer was removed. The urologist instructed Jim to return in four months for a follow-up and did not prescribe nor recommend any medication or treatment.
Instead of enjoying a clean bill of health, Jim suffered increasing pelvic pain over those next four months. He reported his symptoms to his physicians, who negligently dismissed them. His doctors instead believed Jim was exhibiting narcotic medication-seeking behavior.
The pelvic pain became so extreme that Jim sought treatment from another physician, who upon hearing of his history of bladder cancer, immediately sent him for radiological studies. Those test results showed that the cancer had returned and had spread through his pelvic organs.
While he was still in treatment, Jim and his family hired our firm to uncover the cause of these critical mistakes. We established that his prior doctors:
- Delayed the diagnosis of the cancer’s return.
- Did not provide the standard treatment for his Stage 1 bladder cancer, which required a targeted infusion of medication directly into the bladder over a six-week period.
- Had not properly scheduled the proper follow-up surgical procedure to confirm all cancer traces were removed.
Jim continued with his treatment for two years until the time of his passing, which was before the settlement was reached. We recovered a very significant amount on behalf of his family.
Many clients are faced with the shock of learning that following surgery or treatment, their cancer was not entirely removed or has reemerged. If you think your illness could have been prevented if not for a failure to diagnose a disease or injury, contact us immediately.