Affecting hundreds of thousands of people, lung cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in New Mexico and the rest of the United States. There are many ways to diagnose lung cancer, including imaging tests and biopsies. Unfortunately, if the tests aren’t performed or aren’t read correctly, then these doctor errors can result in the patient going on with life without realizing the cancer is present. This drastically reduces the patient’s chances of fighting the cancer. One couple found this out the hard way.
A husband has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a particular doctor and the clinic where the doctor practices medicine. Allegedly, his wife’s death last year was a result of misdiagnosis and delayed treatment of her lung cancer. The woman had smoked for 20 years. Her family had a history of lung cancer.
She began to see the defendant doctor at the beginning of Aug. 2013. She had an X-ray performed on a chest a couple of weeks later. This scan showed that there was a mass in one of her lungs. However, she was not recommended treatment of any kind.
She underwent a CT scan roughly one year later. This scan showed that the mass had actually grown in size. She then underwent a biopsy of the mass, which confirmed she had lung cancer. Roughly four months later, she succumbed to the illness.
When doctor errors cause the delayed diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the consequences can be disastrous. The delay may make the cancer harder to treat, thereby increasing the chances of fatality. Although no amount of money can undo what has already occurred, a malpractice lawsuit in New Mexico may be helpful in recovering compensation and holding all appropriate parties financially responsible for their mistakes.