One of the primary goals in modern medicine is to catch cancer before it progresses. There are different methods medical professionals use to detect whether a patient has cancer, such as diagnostic studies (e.g. CT Scans, MRIs, mammograms), biopsies, laboratory results, and frequent screening techniques (e.g. pelvic examinations or wellness exams to feel for lumps in the breast).
However, a reality of modern medicine is that some professionals do mistakes or errors when trying to detect cancer and, as a result, misdiagnosis occurs. If misdiagnosis occurs, the patient’s cancer may not be detected and treated. Instead, the cancer is left to progress, which can lead to metastatic disease, poor survival, and even death.
To help you understand how this occurs in the real world, we have highlighted two of the on-going cases NextGen Injury Law is handling:
THE ESTATE OF MELISSA SPENCER v. BIO-REFERENCE LABORATORIES INC.
In 2014, Melissa Spencer was only 24 years old and visited her gynecologist for routine medical treatment. Melissa was a proud mother and wife, and she was blessed to have a second child on the way.
As part of her routine medical treatment, Melissa’s gynecologist was responsible for making sure Melissa was not suffering from cancer, including cervical cancer. To detect cervical cancer in a patient, pap smears are frequently performed by the physician and sent to a laboratory for interpretation.
A pap smear is a screening test where a gynecologist obtains cells from the patient’s cervix to determine if there are any abnormal cells. If there are cancerous or pre-cancerous cells present on the pap smear, the laboratory should report that to the gynecologist so that physician can perform necessary procedures to remove such cells.
Unfortunately for Melissa, her medical providers failed to timely and appropriately detect her cervical cancer. As a result, she did not receive timely treatment and her cervical cancer spread throughout her body.
Tragically, on June 15, 2016, Melissa Spencer died after her hard and painful battle with cervical cancer. She was only 26 years old and is survived by her husband, Matthew and their two boys, Mason and Wyatt. NextGen Injury Law has filed a lawsuit in Florida due to Melissa’s wrongful death and misdiagnosed cervical cancer. If you would like more information about Melissa’s case, please contact us and please share this story to others to prevent this tragedy from occurring again.
THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM CLARK JR. v. EISENMAN AND EISENMAN M.D. LLC
In 2015, William Clark Jr. was 62 years old. He dedicated his time to help individuals in rehab and recovery facilities and had a wife and several children. During this time, he continued to see a local physician in Lake Worth, Florida for his Hepatitis C diagnosis. Due to this diagnosis, William Clark Jr. was at risk for developing liver cancer.
Over time, his risk increased even more. However, his physician failed to perform routine screening tests to make sure he did not have liver cancer. For the first time, approximately a year later, William Clark Jr. was advised by an insurance representative that he did not qualify for life insurance due to having liver cancer. He was shocked as he was unaware of his diagnosis.
He later returned to his doctor where he was told he did in fact have liver cancer. He later found out he was not eligible for surgery to remove the cancer or to have a liver transplant.
As result, his cancer spread throughout his body and he tragically died on April 3, 2017. He is survived by his wife and his children. NextGen Injury Law is continuing its investigation of this case and will be filing a lawsuit in Palm Beach County due to the wrongful death of William. If you would like more information about William’s case, please contact us and please share this story to others to prevent this tragedy from occurring again.