The National Cancer Institute estimates that 154,270 new colon cancer cases will arise in 2025, making up 7.6% of all cancer cases in the United States. 52,900 people are estimated to die from this disease in 2025, making up 8.6% of all cancer deaths. Approximately 1 in 23 women and 1 in 25 women will develop colorectal cancer at some point during their lives.
While young people generally did not have this type of cancer long ago, in more recent times, this has changed. Colon cancer rates have fallen roughly 1% each year for people over 50 between 1975 and 2010, but have increased approximately 2% each year for those aged 20 to 34 and about half a percent for those aged 35 to 49.
While these statistics are alarming, early detection can help patients begin necessary treatment as soon as possible. Colonoscopies are a standard tool that doctors use to detect this cancer, but delays in these procedures and missed warning signs can result in deadly consequences. When a healthcare provider’s negligence caused your condition to worsen, the medical malpractice legal team at Powers & Santola, LLP can help. Call us today for a free consultation.
Why Choose Powers & Santola, LLP for Your Colorectal Cancer Screening Failure Case
When you are going through a difficult time in your life caused by someone else’s negligence, you need an experienced lawyer you can count on. You need someone who can handle the legal details of your case while you focus on your healing journey. Some of the characteristics that set our medical malpractice and personal injury law firm apart are our:
- Experience: Our Rochester medical malpractice lawyers and personal injury attorneys have over 50 years of experience fighting for victims injured by others’ negligence. We regularly handle complex medical malpractice cases and know what it takes to win.
- Results: Our medical malpractice and personal injury attorneys have successfully recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation in verdicts and settlements for our clients.
- Resources: Medical malpractice cases are complex and expensive. You often need to hire medical experts and conduct extensive discovery, requiring a skilled legal team. We have eight attorneys and five paralegals who can help manage the demanding nature of these types of cases.
- Reputation: Based on peer reviews, life-changing results, and other factors, our attorneys and law firm have been recognized as among the best in the country. Our award-winning law firm is here to fight for the compensation that you deserve.
- Personalized attention: Our law firm intentionally limits the number of cases it accepts. This strategic decision ensures we can provide each client with the personalized attention they deserve. It also enables us to pay attention to the smallest details, which sometimes have a significant impact on our clients’ cases.
- Trial preparation: At Powers & Santola, LLP, we prepare every case as though it were going to trial. We consult with medical experts to support your malpractice claim. Whether we ultimately resolve your case through a settlement or litigation, we are prepared to advocate for you.
Contact us today for your free case evaluation.
How Our Medical Malpractice Attorneys Can Help
When you hire a medical malpractice lawyer from our law firm, we can handle the legal aspects of your case, including:
- Obtaining and analyzing medical records, communications with your healthcare team, and other medical documentation
- Listening to your story and explaining New York law and how it affects your case
- Interviewing members of your medical team, witnesses, and others who know of the events in question
- Handling communications with insurance companies and others on your behalf
- Meeting filing deadlines and ensuring compliance with procedural requirements
- Representing your legal interests at all points during the legal process
- Advising you whether you should accept a settlement offer or take your case to court
We can discuss how we can help during your free, no-obligation consultation.
What Is Colon and Rectal Cancer?
Colon cancer develops when cells in the large intestine grow abnormally and divide uncontrollably. They may begin as benign polyps, but they can become malignant over time. They can cluster and form a tumor, causing cancer cells to invade nearby normal tissue.
Because colon and rectal cancers can take years to grow, catching the condition early can help remove the polyp before it becomes malignant, stopping it from developing or metastasizing.
Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is associated with various types of symptoms, such as:
- Abdominal pain
- Rectal bleeding
- Bloating
- Unexplained weight loss
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
If you experience these symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately and report them to your healthcare provider.
How Colorectal Cancer Is Diagnosed
A thorough medical evaluation can help correctly diagnose your condition. While fatigue and diarrhea can indicate other medical conditions, a proper diagnosis considers all possible underlying conditions based on the patient’s symptoms until they are ruled out.
Doctors can screen for colon cancer in appropriate cases. One tool they may use is colonoscopies. Other diagnostic tests include barium enemas, flexible sigmoidoscopies, and stool blood testing. Early detection of colorectal cancer can make a huge difference.
Guidelines for Colonoscopies
Current medical guidelines recommend screening for colon cancer beginning at age 45 in typical cases. However, if a patient has a family history of colon cancer or other risk factors, doctors may recommend a colonoscopy sooner. Polyps found in the colon can be removed during or after screening, preventing cancer from forming or spreading.
Even though colonoscopy can be a helpful diagnostic tool, it is not always accurate. One study showed the overall rate of missed colorectal cancer diagnosis by a colonoscopy was 17.22%. Patients with a history of colorectal polyps had a 33.3% rate of missed diagnoses compared to other groups. The study suggests using DNA testing, a stool-based test, or endoscopy in conjunction with colonoscopy to improve the accuracy of colorectal cancer detection.
Treatment Options for Colorectal Cancer
Treatment options for colorectal cancer will depend on specific approaches based on the cancer’s stage and location. Treatment protocols may include:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted treatments
- Surgical intervention
Treatment options become increasingly complex and expensive as the cancer advances to a later stage. Later-stage diagnoses may require medical treatment that is more invasive and costly, such as prolonged chemotherapy regimens and extensive surgical procedures.
What Is Medical Malpractice in Colon and Rectal Cancer?
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional deviates from the standard of care in diagnosis or treatment, causing harm to the patient. The failure to diagnose colon or rectal cancer may constitute medical malpractice when it is caused by:
- Failing to recommend appropriate screening
- Not listening to the patient’s concerns or minimizing warning signs
- Failing to account for a familial risk of rectal cancer or other risk factors
- Failing to order the appropriate tests when symptoms of colon cancer are present
- Failing to identify a polyp accurately
- Failing to communicate with other healthcare providers
- Misinterpreting lab results, colonoscopy findings, or biopsy results
- Mixing up lab results with another patient’s findings
- Failing to render visual images of the entire colon during a colonoscopy
- Not following up after abnormal test results
- Failing to refer a patient to a gastroenterologist
These and other medical mistakes can cause critical delays in treatment.
Survival Rates for Colon Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year relative survival rate for colon cancer is 65.4%. If patients catch it before it spreads, the survival rate exceeds 90%. However, survival rates drop to a dismal 15% in advanced stages of the disease. These statistics highlight the importance of early detection and intervention.
Even if a delayed diagnosis does not cause a patient’s death, it often drastically decreases their quality of life. While removing a polyp may be an effective form of treatment in early stages, later stages may necessitate the surgical removal of the colon or require that the patient use a colostomy bag. This can often cause embarrassment, shame, and unique challenges to the patient and their family.
Additionally, a diagnostic error can cause doctors to treat cancer more aggressively than they would have had they caught the condition much earlier. The patient may have to go through expensive and invasive forms of radiation and chemotherapy. With delays, physical pain, complete loss of bowel function, and other medical complications are more likely. A doctor’s mistake can make the difference between a doable treatment plan and life-altering medical interventions.
Financial Compensation You Can Recover Due to a Failure to Diagnose Colorectal Cancer
When a medical professional fails to order or conduct a colonoscopy or misses warning signs of colorectal cancer, you may be able to recover compensation for the damages you’ve suffered. By filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, you can seek compensation for the medical treatment that is more invasive and aggressive due to the colon cancer misdiagnosis.
When a prompt diagnosis is not made, the necessary medical treatment will likely be significantly more expensive. Additionally, recovery times can also be much longer.
Compensatory damages may include the following:
- Medical bills for additional diagnostic testing,
- Ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy, and rehabilitation
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Disability and impairments
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys in Rochester can carefully investigate your case and determine the damages to include in your personal injury claim.
When a failure to diagnose results in the patient’s death, the family may be able to recover compensation for their losses by filing a wrongful death claim.
Contact Our Colon & Rectal Cancer Malpractice Lawyers for a Free Case Review
When a medical professional fails to order or conduct a colonoscopy or misses warning signs of colorectal cancer, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim. Rochester-area gastroenterologists and primary care physicians who fail to recommend timely colonoscopies or properly evaluate concerning symptoms such as rectal bleeding, our trial lawyers want them to be held accountable so they won’t make the same mistake again.
At Powers & Santola, LLP, our results speak for themselves. You can review our client testimonials to get a better sense of what it would be like to work with us. Call us today to arrange your free consultation.
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