Failure to Diagnose Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is a grave illness, but when caught in the earlier stages, it is often treatable. When bladder cancer is not diagnosed until it has spread to other parts of the body, though, it is often terminal. While there are no standard screening tests for bladder cancer, doctors should observe signs and symptoms that indicate advanced diagnostic tests are necessary, and if they do not and their patients subsequently suffer harm, they should be held accountable. If you were hurt by a doctor’s failure to diagnose bladder cancer, you may be owed compensation, and it is prudent to speak to an attorney as soon as possible. The assertive Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers of Arfaa Law Group can inform you of your options for pursuing justice and help you pursue the best legal result possible in consideration of the facts surrounding your losses.

The symptoms of bladder cancer include painful and frequent urination, blood in the urine, and the urge to urinate without being able to do so. Because the signs of bladder cancer mimic other illnesses, doctors will typically perform multiple tests on patients to obtain an accurate diagnosis, including blood tests, cystoscopies, biopsies, and MRIs. If a doctor fails to evaluate a patient appropriately, bladder cancer can progress and spread to surrounding tissues and other parts of the body. The failure to diagnose bladder cancer before it spreads to the underlying muscle greatly reduces a patient’s chance of survival. Additionally, the treatment for advanced-stage bladder cancer is more invasive and often causes significant side effects, including incontinence and sexual dysfunction.

The failure to diagnose bladder cancer often has fatal consequences. As such, people who have lost a loved one or suffered harm due to a doctor’s incompetence often seek justice via medical malpractice lawsuits. In most instances, a plaintiff in a malpractice case will assert a medical negligence claim against the defendant. Under Maryland law, proving that a defendant was negligent requires the plaintiff to show that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty. In the context of medical treatment, the duty owed is to provide care that meets or exceeds the applicable standard, which is defined as the care that a competent professional who works in the same practice area would offer in a similar situation. The plaintiff then must establish that the defendant breached the duty owed in some manner. For example, if the standard required a doctor to perform diagnostic tests if a patient presents with urine in their bladder and the defendant failed to do so, it may be considered a departure from the standard of care.

In addition to demonstrating that the defendant breached the standard of care, the plaintiff has to prove that the defendant’s breach caused the plaintiff to suffer quantifiable damages. While the defendant’s behavior does not have to be the sole cause of the plaintiff’s losses, it must be a primary factor in bringing it about. Additionally, the plaintiff has to demonstrate that, but for the breach, they would not have sustained losses.

In the majority of cases, the plaintiff will need to retain one or more medical experts to explain to the jury the standard that applies to the defendant and how the treatment offered by the defendant deviated from the standard. Expert testimony will most likely be needed to link the defendant’s actions to the plaintiff’s harm as well.

Bladder cancer can cause painful symptoms, and if it is not diagnosed and treated in its early stages, it can lead to reduced quality of life and fatal complications. If you were harmed by a doctor’s failure to diagnose bladder cancer, you should confer with an attorney regarding your rights. The experienced Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group are adept at proving negligent health care providers should be held accountable, and if you hire us, we will advocate aggressively on your behalf. We have an office in Baltimore, where we regularly represent people in medical malpractice lawsuits. You can reach us through our online form or by calling us at 410-889-1850 to set up a conference.