The Impact of Colorectal Cancer Screening and What to Do When Screening Fails

Colorectal cancer is a potentially fatal form of cancer that affects any part of the large bowel, including the colon or rectum. It is sometimes called carcinoma of the bowel, bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, depending on where the cancer starts. 

Screening can detect important cancer-related red flags, but when medical workers fail to understand or respond, patients may not be diagnosed in time. A delayed diagnosis lawsuit may be brought in situations where the patient was harmed.

When a patient describes symptoms of a history of rectal bleeding and changes in bowel habits, possibly paired with weight loss and abdominal pain, the doctor would generally be expected to refer the patient to a colon and rectal surgeon after performing an initial examination. Under normal circumstances, the surgeon would perform a basic and more advanced exam before ordering additional tests.

In this short guide, you’ll learn about what screening can do and why it may be necessary to get legal help when medical negligence results in delayed diagnosis. You’ll learn what type of help a lawyer can offer and how you can cover serious medical expenses.

The Benefits of Early Detection Through Colorectal Cancer Screening

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. It is often called a silent killer because it can appear without notable symptoms. Simple symptoms like constipation, anemia, bloating, hemorrhoids, and polyps can all point to 

Due to this problem, it is difficult to detect until it has advanced to later stages, and this form of cancer is difficult to respond to in later stages.

The most important benefit of early detection of colorectal cancer is that it makes the cancer far more treatable. Early detection and treatment can significantly increase the possibility of a full cure. Tens of millions of Americans have successfully survived this cancer with early detection and treatment. 

Types of Colon Cancer Screening Tests

When medical professionals take factors like your family history, risk factors, and warning signs seriously, they may recommend a number of tests to confirm whether treatment or cancer prevention steps are necessary:

• Blood test: Blood tests can carry important markers that reveal cancer in the early stages.
• Stool test: There are various stool tests that check the stool for blood, which is caused by polyps and small cancers in the colon
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: This test uses a small flexible scope to view the lower part of the colon
• Colonoscopy: This method is like the sigmoidoscopy, except the entire colon can be viewed. An alternative to the colonoscopy is a virtual colonoscopy, in which a CT scan is used to view the entirety of the colon

When Is Failure to Detect Colorectal Cancer Actionable?

The health care provider may have acted negligently if they breached their duty of care to the patient by failing to refer the patient to a specialist or order follow-up tests that would have led to a timely diagnosis, for example. 

An experienced medical malpractice attorney will ask whether the healthcare provider performed below the standard of care expected of a competent physician under similar circumstances. If the answer is yes, a medical negligence claim may be brought.

Types of delayed colorectal cancer diagnosis claims brought to recover damages:

• Failure to consider the patient’s medical history when diagnosing
• Failure to perform a proper examination
• Failure to refer the patient to a specialist for more investigation
• Failure to order necessary tests
• Failure to interpret test results accurately
• Failure to communicate test results
• Mistaken colorectal cancer diagnosis
• Misdiagnosis

Why is a Delayed Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer so Dangerous?

Timely treatment is absolutely critical to treating cancer, but it is not possible without a diagnosis. The other issue is that the type of treatment recommended depends on the stage and location of the tumor; common colorectal treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

When diagnosed early, the survival rate for colorectal cancer is fairly high. A successful medical malpractice lawsuit will prove that the delayed diagnosis affected the patient outcome in a negative way, such as when the cancer progressed to a more advanced stage or caused the cancer to spread to other parts of the body that then required more invasive treatment, a serious decline in health or even wrongful death.

Discuss Your Case with a Seattle Medical Malpractice Specialist 

If you believe that your loved one lost their life or was adversely affected due to a failure to diagnose colorectal cancer, please contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. They will assess the circumstances and discuss your legal rights. The attorney may be able to fight for justice on your behalf by holding the negligent medical professional accountable through a settlement.

Our Seattle medical malpractice lawyers have years of experience representing families harmed by medical malpractice and other types of negligence. We seek justice for patients who have been harmed by preventable medical errors, including birth injuries, hospital-acquired infections, and wrongful death in Seattle and across Washington State. 

There are no fees or expenses to file a personal injury case; we only receive payment if we recover damages on your behalf. Do not delay; personal injury claims have a statute of limitations, which means they must be filed within a certain time frame of the injury.

Call us now at (206) 752-4366 or use our catheter injury contact form to schedule a free consultation with one of our compassionate, experienced attorneys.