Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

What Are Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims?

Bowel cancer misdiagnosis claims refers to when a victim of bowel cancer misdiagnosis takes legal action against their healthcare provider for medical negligence. If a doctor misdiagnosed cancer, then such a patient is legally entitled to make cancer misdiagnosis claims.

Bowel cancer which is also called colorectal cancer affects the large bowel made up of the colon and rectum. Most bowel cancers develop from pre-cancerous growths known as polyps; however not all polyps will eventually become cancerous. When your Doctor makes an error in diagnosing your condition, you are entitled to make bowel cancer misdiagnosis claims.

Bowel Cancer Statistics In UK

Bowel cancer is regarded as the fourth commonest type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the UK. Statistics have shown that about 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. 94% of persons diagnosed are over the age of 50 while 59% of the people diagnosed are aged 70 or over. 

Bowel cancer can affect any age group. In fact, more than 2,500 of the new cases diagnosed each year are in people under the age of 50. It is estimated that 1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer at some point during their lifetime.

With more than 16,000 people dying from bowel cancer in the UK every year (about 10% of all deaths from cancer), early detection and treatment is very key towards saving lives. 

What is Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis?

Bowel cancer misdiagnosis refers to a situation where a medical professional fails to correctly identify the presence of bowel cancer in a patient or delays unnecessarily in making the right diagnosis. When there is a delay in diagnosing cancer, as the cancer cells continue to spread leading to a debilitating condition or worse, fatal.

A case of bowel cancer misdiagnosis also occurs when a medical professional falsely diagnoses a patient as a cancer free individual with bowel cancer. This will no doubt cause unnecessary mental anguish and devastating psychological effects for the person.

If your doctor, GP or specialist has failed in his or her duty to give you acceptable standard of medical care and misdiagnosed your bowel cancer condition or that of a loved one causing your or your loved one unnecessary pain and suffering, then you are legally empowered to make a claim and seek justice for the harm suffered.

Why Should I Make Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims?

Aside from seeking a deserved compensation for your pain and suffering as well as for financial expenses incurred as a result of the incident, making misdiagnosis claims also helps ensure that the hospital or NHS makes adequate changes and puts in measures that will greatly reduce the incidence of misdiagnosis. 

So, it is not just about the money, rather it is about ensuring that someone does not suffer a similar experience.

How Does Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Occur?

Bowel cancer misdiagnosis mostly occurs when a doctor fails in his duty and makes an error in diagnosing the cancer status of his patient. All medical professionals owe their patients a “Duty of Care” and should take advantage of technological advances in medicine to ensure that they make the right decisions in the best interest of their patients.

Some negligent actions of medical professionals which could lead to misdiagnosis include;

• Failing to recognise the symptoms presented as that of bowel cancer
• Incorrect diagnosis of the bowel cancer or false diagnosis when the patient is free
• Failure to refer the patient to a specialist for further examination
• Failure to make appropriate tests before making diagnosis
• Failure to follow up on tests
• Incorrect reading of test results
• Surgery errors

If your medical professional has failed to give you an acceptable standard of care, resulting in misdiagnosis of your bowel or colon cancer, you may be able to make a bowel or colon cancer misdiagnosis claim.

Our Solicitors are experts in bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims and will be able to guide you through the process in a friendly and expert manner. We have many years of experience in this medical negligence specialty and have secured hugely satisfying compensation amounts for several clients. We will see to it that you are well represented and get all the support you need in this difficult time. You can contact us today by completing our quick Free Claim Assessment Form or call us on 0800 644 4240 for a no obligation claim assessment.

Common Misdiagnosis of Bowel Cancer

Most often before the correct diagnosis is finally made, colon cancer is misdiagnosed as;

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Diverticulitis
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Crohn’s disease
• Peptic Ulcer disease

It is therefore paramount that your doctor makes the right tests if your symptoms suggest you may have bowel cancer or refer you to a specialist so that you can undergo an further examination before a diagnosis is done. 

Some of these tests include;

• Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
• Stool Tests
• Colonoscopy 
• CT Colonography
• CT Scan For Persons With Bowel Obstruction

How Do I Make A Bowel Cancer Negligence Claim?

To bring about a claim for bowel or colon cancer misdiagnosis, you will need to establish or show your doctor acted negligently or subjected you to substandard medical care either by not carrying out the proper tests or making referrals to a specialist and has ended up misdiagnosing your condition which has caused you unnecessary pain, trauma and suffering.

To make a negligence claim, you need to establish that;

• Your GP or specialist owed you a duty of care
• There was a breach of that duty of care
• That breach of duty of care has caused you unnecessary pain, trauma and losses

You will also be required to make available certain documents which can be used as evidence to prove your claims. These documents include;

• Detailed statements of all that transpired
• Results of scans and tests
• Witness statements 
• Proof of financial losses incurred as a result of the misdiagnosis including past, current and estimated future financial losses
• Images
• Medical Report from an independent medical expert after proper medical examinations on you

No Win No Fee Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims

Our Bowel Cancer Medical Negligence Solicitors will undertake your bowel cancer negligence claim under our No Win No Fee medical negligence policy which means that we will represent you without you paying us any legal fees during the entire negligence claims process. 

Even in a case where your claim is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay us a dime. Before undertaking your case, we take out an insurance cover for you that protects you from any financial implications. We do not want the fear of legal fees to stop you from getting justice you deserve.

When your case is won, we will deduct a success fee of no more than 25% from your total compensation award value while you receive the rest.

How Much Compensation Will I Get For My Bowel Cancer Compensation Claim?

The amount of compensation you can get for your bowel cancer compensation claim varies from case to case. It is not fixed as no two bowel cancer negligence claims are the same. Several factors such as the severity of your injury, pain, harm suffered as well as other financial costs and “out-of-pocket” expenses you have incurred as a result of the misdiagnosis plays a huge part in deciding the amount of compensation you will receive. 

Our medical negligence experts, after accessing your claim, can give you an idea of what you can expect using our medical negligence claim calculator.

Time Limit For Making A Medical Negligence Claim

According to the Limitation Act of 1980, you have a three-year time frame for making your colon cancer medical negligence claims. This three-year period starts from the date the medical negligence occurred or when you became aware of the negligent treatment. 

There are exceptions to this rule. If the individual is a minor, the three-year time frame starts from the individual’s 18th birthday. Also, in a case where the individual is incapacitated and unable to make claims, this time frame is relaxed until the person is able to make claims. 

In both cases, a litigation friend (either a family member or next of kin) can make claims on behalf of the person who is unable to do so.

Our medical negligence solicitors are ready to provide you the answers you seek If you have any questions or queries concerning this.

Our Expertise In Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

Our medical negligence lawyers have many years of experience in bowel and colon cancer misdiagnosis claims. They have expertly represented several clients in this area and secured deserving settlement amounts. They therefore, have the expertise to give you the right legal counsel you need and represent you professionally so that you can win your case. 

We understand your difficult situation and will provide you with the support you need while ensuring that the process is smooth and stress-free for you.

Our medical negligence solicitors are friendly, approachable and very understanding. They understand your difficult situation and will ensure you are well supported throughout the case. We will do our best to make sure the entire claims process is smooth and stress-free for you.

We encourage you not to delay but reach out to us today by completing our quick Free Claim Assessment Form for a no obligation assessment of your case so that we can make that claim for you.

Conclusion

It is important that medical professionals make the right decisions in the best interest of their patients as they owe them a duty of care for medical negligence. If negligent treatment from your medical practitioner has caused you to suffer unnecessarily or made your condition worse, we are here to assist you make a negligence claim. We also advise that you not delay reaching out to us to begin your claims especially as medical negligence claims have a strict time limit.

Can Bowel Cancer Be Misdiagnosed?

Bowel cancer can be misdiagnosed for several other less serious illnesses. Some other medical conditions which bowel or colon cancer can be misdiagnosed as include;

• Irritable bowel syndrome (Spastic colon)
• Diverticulitis
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Crohn’s disease
• Peptic Ulcer disease

These diseases have symptoms that mimic colorectal cancer and so without proper tests and medical examinations, a medical professional may misdiagnose bowel cancer as one of these illnesses.

Does Colon Cancer Feel Like Diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis (an inflammation or infection in one or more of the small bulging pouches in the digestive system) results in an inflamed diverticulum and this can lead to symptoms that are similar to colon cancer symptoms. These symptoms include change in bowel habits, severe abdominal pain and rectal bleeding.

What Are The Symptoms Of Stage 1 Colon Cancer?

The signs and symptoms of colon cancer include-

• Changes in bowel habits which may include diarrhea, constipation or stool changes
• Rectal bleeding
• Constant and severe abdominal discomfort
• Feeling that there are still contents in your bowel even after emptying
• Tiredness, weakness and fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss

Can You Have Normal Bowel Movements With Colon Cancer?

Changes in bowel movements and stool is one of the earliest signs of colon cancer and is frequently missed. It is therefore vital that changes in consistency, color and bowel movements should be carefully monitored especially if they persist or get worse.

Why Is Colon Cancer Diagnosed So Late?

Colon cancer is most often diagnosed especially in young persons. According to research, this is because doctors may not really think of cancer when young persons complain of bowel changes, severe abdominal pains and rectal bleeding.

Most often, young persons who suffer colorectal cancer first complain of bleeding in their stool, rectal bleeding and abdominal cramps as well as bowel changes.