New Jersey Sarcoma Misdiagnosis Lawyers
The human body consists mainly of skin, blood vessels, ligaments, tendons, nerves, muscles, fat, cartilage, and bones. These components are held together by connective tissue. When cancer strikes the connective tissue, you may have one of the more than 100 distinct types of bone or tissue sarcoma.
While relatively rare, sarcoma still affects thousands of individuals in the United States annually. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be nearly 13,600 diagnoses and 5,200 deaths in 2024 due to soft tissue sarcoma, which is more common than bone sarcoma. However, these numbers account for only 1% of all adult cancers and 15% of childhood cancers.
What Areas of the Body can be Affected by Sarcoma?
Since the connective tissue supports organs and other parts throughout the human system, sarcoma can affect any body part. So, any body part with muscle, fat, blood vessels, cells, tendons, and ligaments may feel the effects of this cancer. Thus, legs, arms, and the torso may have lumps, pain, or swelling from sarcoma.
What Causes Sarcoma?
The cause of bone and tissue sarcoma is unclear. However, older adults are more at risk for the disease, as are those with genetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 1 and retinoblastoma. Additionally, those with a history of radiotherapy and exposure to chemicals such as vinyl chloride and certain herbicides are more prone to develop tissue cancer. Also, the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma is HHV-8 or HIV.
Symptoms Potentially Indicating Sarcoma
Sarcoma symptoms depend on the tumor’s location in the body. For example, a tumor near the lungs will affect the respiratory system, causing coughing or labored breathing. A tumor in the digestive tract may cause stomach pain or constipation. And yet, those with sarcoma may feel nothing at first or detect a lump in the early stages. Other symptoms include swelling or pain in the limbs, abdominals, back, or pelvis; bloody stools; mysterious bone breakage; weight loss; fever; or stiff joints.
Treating Sarcoma Based on the Location and Stage of the Disease
Since soft tissue sarcoma often appears as a tumor, early detection determines treatment. Surgical removal of the bone or tissue tumor in early-stage sarcoma can cure it. However, once it spreads, it may be incurable. Other cutting-edge therapies include targeted therapy through medications, immunotherapy by drugs bolstering the immune system, surgery, and radiation. Chemotherapy may also be necessary.
Exploring the Different Ways Medical Negligence can Occur with Sarcoma
Time is the enemy with sarcoma. The longer it takes to diagnose the condition, the worse the outcome. Thus, a delayed cancer diagnosis can be fatal. Once the cancer spreads, there may be fewer treatment options, if any. First, when a doctor misdiagnoses a patient, their negligence may cause additional surgeries that would not have been required had a competent physician detected the condition earlier. It could also mean the patient’s death.
Not ordering the correct tests to arrive at an accurate diagnosis is another common form of medical negligence that leads to injury or death from sarcoma. Patients reporting a lump or other sarcoma symptoms should prompt doctors to conduct a physical exam, followed by tests and scans, like X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and biopsies. Failing to order the right tests to confirm the diagnosis is usually considered negligence.
Once diagnosed, the patient needs specialists, such as surgeons and medication experts, to administer chemo and other drugs. A family physician who does not send their patient to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment may also be found negligent under certain circumstances.
What is the Biggest Issue with Diagnosing Sarcoma?
Studies confirm overwhelmingly that the diagnostic timing of sarcoma often means life or death for the patient. However, sarcoma is difficult to diagnose because of its rarity and generalized symptoms. For instance, a patient’s stomach pain may be misdiagnosed as an ulcer or numerous other conditions, unless a physician considers sarcoma as one of the conditions that manifests as stomach pain. Dismissing general symptoms or mistaking them for a more common ailment instead of further investigating the root cause happens far too often, leading to catastrophic harm from progressive sarcoma.
As such, the medical practitioner’s response to a patient’s words, history, and physical symptoms is critical. Mistakes in the standard practice of ordering the proper tests and referring the patient to a specialist lead to increased harm, if not fatality. The delay resulting from a misdiagnosis or a wide range of tests for a wide array of conditions can mean additional surgeries, metastasis (cancer spread), permanent injuries, or death.
Speak with an Attorney at Fronzuto Law Group about Your Sarcoma Malpractice Case in NJ
A delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of sarcoma leading to injury, prolonged treatment, or death may constitute medical malpractice. Fronzuto Law Group’s team of skilled attorneys can be instrumental in determining whether your injuries or the loss of a loved one to sarcoma is medical malpractice that entitles you to compensation. With our extensive experience in the complex realm of medical malpractice litigation in New Jersey, we analyze and evaluate your case to discover medical negligence that caused harm or death to you or someone close to you.
Our lawyers have in-depth legal knowledge that we utilize to determine whether the elements for a successful medical malpractice lawsuit are present, such as a doctor’s failure to honor their duty of care to their patient, and to diagnose and treat sarcoma within the appropriate level of professional and medical standards. We must also find proof to establish that the doctor’s negligence caused your injuries or a loved one’s demise. In consultations with medical experts and by examining medical records, physician notes, laboratory, pathology, and other reports, our attorneys can establish causation and assemble all of the relevant supportive evidence justifying the value of your damages. In addition to establishing the elements of a sarcoma malpractice claim, we use our skills to negotiate and, if necessary, litigate your claim.
