Delayed Child Cancer Diagnosis Lawyers in Albany, NY

Some cancers, like leukemia, are easily diagnosed and rarely missed. Others, like brain tumors, can be misdiagnosed in children due in part to the fact that symptoms of brain cancer can be attributed to other childhood maladies such as migraine headaches.

In some cases, childhood cancer is misdiagnosed because young children cannot adequately explain or interpret symptoms. Children are also dependent on their parents recognizing symptoms and taking them seriously. However, in the end, a cancer diagnosis is the doctor’s responsibility.

In England, a survey by the Teenage Cancer Trust (a well-regarded cancer support and advocacy group) found that more than a third of young people visited their general practitioner with cancer symptoms five times before being referred to a specialist.

However, even the Teenage Cancer Trust states on its website, “Please remember that cancer in young people is very rare and [symptoms of cancer] could also be signs of other, everyday illnesses.”

A 2010 study of delayed cancer diagnoses in the U.K. revealed that the most common reason for a delayed diagnosis was that the medical practitioner did not conduct a sufficient medical examination. Other problems included:

• Misattribution of symptoms
• Comorbidity (the presence of two diseases or conditions in a patient).

Sometimes, the hospital / medical center’s procedures cause a delayed diagnosis. The British study cited delays attributed to:

• Waiting for tests
• Waiting for non-urgent referrals to specialists
• Delays in the follow-up to tests.