Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the UK. Yet too often, it goes unnoticed by GPs and specialists until it’s too late.

Although GPs and clinical specialists receive specialist training to recognise the signs of cancer, sometimes mistakes happen and ‘red flags’ for cancer are missed. Examples are that your GP might not send you for a hospital test early enough, or the treating specialist might miss evidence of cancer when they look at your test results.

If you suspect that you or a loved one has experienced negligent treatment of cancer, including being misdiagnosed, you may have grounds to claim compensation. This can often be essential to mitigate the negative impact on you and your family.

Contact our cancer misdiagnosis solicitors

For a no-obligation consultation, contact us using our online form or call us on 0117 325 2929.

Case study | £450,000 for delayed rectal cancer diagnosis

Our medical negligence expertise

Our medical negligence team is ranked by Chambers and Partners UK, and we are also top tier ranked in Legal 500.

In addition, three members of our clinical negligence claims team; Richard HarriesClaire Hurrell and Jay Nathwani, are particularly highly rated for their expertise in Chambers and Partners UK. Richard is also ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ and Jay and Helen Franklin are recognised as ‘Next Generation Partners’ in Legal 500 UK 2023.

Our experienced medical negligence claims team is headed up by panel members of Action Against Medical Accidents, the charity for patient safety and justice, and the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme.

Case study | £320,000 for misdiagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer

Commonly misdiagnosed cancers

There are many different types of cancer which can be misdiagnosed or delayed in their diagnosis. These include:

  • Bladder cancer
  • Bone cancer
  • Bowel and rectal polyps
  • Bowel cancer
  • Brain cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Gynaecological cancers:
    • Cervical cancer
    • Ovarian cancer
    • Vulvar cancer
    • Vaginal cancer
    • Uterine/endometrial cancer
  • Oral cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Renal cancer

Case study | Compensation for delayed cervical cancer diagnosis

Our cancer negligence claims service

No win, no fee cancer misdiagnosis claims

In most cases, our specialist cancer misdiagnosis solicitors will represent you on a no win no fee agreement. If you are feeling well enough, they will usually meet with you when you decide to go ahead with investigating a claim. This is so that they can explain more in person about how your legal claim is funded and the steps involved with bringing a delayed cancer diagnosis or misdiagnosis claim.  Your solicitor will be happy to answer any questions you have.

There are several other options for funding a medical negligence claim, including legal expenses insurance and private funding. No matter your financial situation, we will help you find an appropriate funding option so you can pursue your claim.

Read more about ways to fund a medical negligence claim.

Time limits for cancer negligence claims

In most cases, to issue a claim with the Court, you have three years from the date your cancer should have been diagnosed or the date your cancer was actually diagnosed.

However, every delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis claim is different. Our lawyers will advise you about the relevant time limit for your particular case. If a loved one has died, you usually have three years from their date of death to bring a claim.

Getting the necessary documents and independent expert evidence to bring a cancer misdiagnosis claim takes time. We therefore always recommend that you speak to a specialist medical negligence solicitor as soon as possible.

Case study | £99,000 for delay in diagnosis of pelvic tumour

Cancer misdiagnosis FAQs

For missed diagnosis or late diagnosis of cancer to be considered negligent, we will need to show that your GP or hospital clinician should have seen the signs of cancer and referred you for treatment earlier.

Examples of negligent treatment of cancer may include:

  • Failure to recognise signs and symptoms of cancer
  • Failure to order appropriate diagnostic tests, such as a biopsy
  • Failure to correctly interpret the results of a test
  • Losing test results or other clerical errors, leading to a delay in diagnosis

If you are unsure whether the treatment you or a loved one received was negligent, please get in touch. We will be happy to advise you on whether you may have grounds for a claim and the next steps you need to take.

The first step is to get in touch with our specialist cancer misdiagnosis solicitors for an initial appointment. A member of our team will get the basic details of your situation and can advise on whether we think your claim justifies further investigation.

Where we believe you have grounds for a claim, we can usually represent you under a no win no fee agreement. This means you do not have to pay anything upfront to pursue a claim and will only need to contribute to your legal fees if we secure compensation for you.

The first stage in exploring your claim will be requesting copies of your medical records and preparing a statement from you about what happened. We will instruct an independent medical expert to get answers for you about whether you should have been diagnosed earlier and, if so, what difference the late diagnosis of cancer made to your treatment and long-term prognosis.

At this point, we should have a clear picture of what happened, exactly how and if your treatment was negligent, and a firm basis for placing an estimated value on your claim.

We will then work with you and the NHS Trust or other healthcare provider to attempt to negotiate an out-of-court settlement. Most cancer misdiagnosis claims are resolved in this way, meaning you will rarely need to attend court to receive compensation.

If your case does go to court, we will ensure you have the best possible legal representation and all of the practical and emotional support you need. We will make every effort to keep the process as straightforward and stress free as possible, while giving you the best chance of securing a fair settlement for your claim.

As with most forms of medical negligence, it’s possible to claim for pain, suffering and loss of quality of life for a misdiagnosis of cancer or a delayed cancer diagnosis. It’s also possible for you to be compensated for lost or reduced earnings as well as the additional treatment or care which you have needed.

Furthermore, if delays in diagnosing and treating your cancer cause it to become a terminal illness, it may be possible for your children or partner to receive compensation.

Even when misdiagnosis of a tumour is not immediately fatal, it can cut years from your life expectancy, prematurely leaving your loved ones without financial, practical and emotional support. A cancer misdiagnosis claim could enable them to be compensated for their losses.

If you have lost a family member or loved one because of medical negligence, including because of delayed diagnosis of cancer, you may be able to claim compensation for their misdiagnosis.

You can often claim compensation both on the behalf of the deceased and on your own if you were dependent on them, either for their income or their practical support and assistance.

Start a claim for misdiagnosed cancer today

If you’ve suffered from negligent treatment of cancer, our expert medical negligence solicitors are here to help. Our cancer misdiagnosis lawyers work with clients across the UK from our offices in Bristol, in Bedminster, Bishopston, Bristol city centre, Kingswood and Thornbury.

For an informal discussion about a potential cancer misdiagnosis claim with a member of our team, call us on 0117 325 2929 or complete our online enquiry form.

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