Our experienced New Jersey medical malpractice attorneys at Fronzuto Law Group recently secured a $1,100,000 million financial recovery on behalf of a woman who suffered a dramatically worsened prognosis and life-threatening harm due to delayed diagnosis of breast cancer.
When a Delayed Diagnosis Becomes Dangerous
This case is a classic illustration of what undiagnosed cancer can do to a person’s life and survival chances when negligent medical professionals allow such a serious disease to progress without proper diagnosis and immediate treatment. In this case, what began as a likely Stage I presentation of breast cancer in 2014, which should have been diagnosed during a routine annual screening mammogram and follow-up testing, was permitted to progress undiagnosed, metastasizing until it reached Stage IV disease, which was ultimately discovered and diagnosed three years later.
Consider the following. Our client underwent her annual screening mammogram at a medical diagnostic imaging center in 2014. At that time, the results were highly suspicious, with the initial signs requiring further evaluation through diagnostic mammography, ultrasound, and biopsy. And yet, her doctor failed to act in accordance with the standard of care as prescribed by the American College of Radiology, the governing organization of professional practice standards for this medical specialty. Had her physician accurately interpreted the results and made appropriate recommendations for further evaluation, our client’s cancer diagnosis would have come in 2014. Instead, this devastating disease was allowed to fester, wreaking havoc on her body and ultimately spreading to her bones.
Continued Missed Diagnostic Opportunities while a Patient’s Life Hangs in the Balance
The following year, in 2015, our client underwent another annual screening mammogram, which was interpreted as abnormal. However, her subsequent ultrasound and further evaluation at a different diagnostic imaging center was also misinterpreted, with yet another doctor failing to identify the increasing size of the mass in her breast.
Another year passed, with our client receiving another diagnostic mammogram in 2016. Although the size and scope of her breast cancer was increasing with every year that passed, this doctor also incorrectly diagnosed the findings as benign, despite clear signs of potential malignancy.
Only after seeking emergency medical care for pain in her left arm, neck, and shoulder did further investigation occur. The medical team ultimately identified and determined that her type of breast cancer, called invasive ductal carcinoma, had spread to her bones, taking up residence in her spine.
As is clear from an extensive investigation of this case by our attorneys, in conjunction with knowledgeable medical experts in the relevant fields, our client’s breast cancer could have been diagnosed earlier on in her journey. The numerous breaches of the standard of care that occurred along the way resulted in a delay in diagnosis of her breast cancer, which could have been treated to avoid the cancer spreading to her bones, thus resulting in a better outcome. Although doing remarkably well at the moment, as a result of her stage IV cancer diagnosis, our client will never be cured and is at an increased risk of prematurely succumbing to her disease.
Perhaps the numbers create the clearest of all pictures in this case: in Stage I, our client had a five-year survival rate of 98%. In Stage II, her five-year survival rate was still high, at 92%. However, because her cancer remained undiagnosed until 2017, her five-year survival rate plummeted to only 27%. A survival likelihood dropping from nearly 100 percent to one-quarter of that means much more to the victim and their loved ones than anything else. It means graduations, vacations, holiday celebrations, birthdays, hugs, meals together, and every moment in between life’s many milestones.
In actuality, it means the difference between a life lived for longer and a life cut short. During jury selection before trial in this case, our medical malpractice lawyers secured a $1,100,000 settlement for our client, offering her and her family justice and monetary compensation for the suffering they have endured.
A Pervasive Disease, A Fight for Survival
As often occurs in cases involving delayed diagnosis of cancer, the disease rarely remains stagnant as the years pass. Instead, malignant, metastatic cancer aggressively pervades the victim’s body, often conquering other organs, tissues, and body parts, no doubt leaving damage in its wake. The first and only line of defense against this devastating disease is the healthcare providers tasked with finding it and fighting it with all of their knowledge, experience, and medical resources. When these trusted medical professionals fail in the realm of timely cancer diagnosis and treatment, it is truly the victims of their negligence that lose in the end. These failures equate to lives lived or lives lost.
For this reason, it is our passion at Fronzuto Law Group to take up the fight for the victims, holding negligent medical providers accountable and securing our clients and their families the justice and compensation they deserve. When doctors, nurses, radiologists, lab technicians, hospitals, and other medical professionals and facilities cost you dearly, our team stands proudly by your side. Our medical malpractice attorneys use the power of the law to ensure that your suffering does not go unnoticed or unrectified.
If you believe that we may be of assistance to you with a medical malpractice matter, we encourage you to contact us for a free review of your case and discussion of your unique situation.
