March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Monthand the American Cancer Society is reaching out to discuss prevention, early detection, and the importance of colorectal cancer screenings. 51,000 people die each year from colorectal cancer and in Hawaii alone, approximately 620 new cases will be discovered and 230 people will die from the disease this year. Hawaii medical malpractice attorneys know that doctors are the first line of defense when it comes to colorectal cancer because early detection makes it easier to treat.
Cancer screenings
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer screening should begin at the age of 45 for people with an average risk of colorectal cancer. Your doctor should discuss these tests with you and if you have a heightened risk due to this type of cancer in your family or you start experiencing symptoms that may be a sign of cancer, your doctor will likely recommend that you begin testing sooner.
Colorectal cancer treatment
When appropriate screenings are done, early intervention may prevent cancer. Most forms of colorectal cancer develop from polyps and when polyps are found during preventative colonoscopies, they can be removed so that they do not turn into cancer. If cancer is detected during screening, doctors will determine the best treatment route to take, which may include any one or a combination of the following:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Systemic therapy
- Targeted therapy
- Immunotherapy
Medical malpractice and colorectal cancer
When a doctor’s care falls below the applicable medical standard of care and a patient suffers harm due to that medical negligence, he or she may have a case for medical malpractice against the doctor. When it comes to colorectal cancer, there are a number of ways that medical malpractice may occur, such as:
- A medical professional’s negligent care resulted in a failure to diagnose cancer. This could occur when a doctor fails to recognize and follow up on signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer. This could also happen when a colonoscopy is misread and a proper diagnosis is not made as a result.
- A medical professional fails to recommend appropriate preventative screenings to patients starting at the recommended age or earlier for people that are at a higher risk for colorectal cancer.
- Failure to provide appropriate follow-up treatment may also result in harm to patients who as a result, develop cancer or experience a return of cancer.
- Injuries sustained during colonoscopies as a result of malpractice may include hemorrhaging after a polyp removal, bowel perforation, sedation complications, failure to treat colonoscopy complications, and infection.
Every late diagnosis of colorectal cancer or complication that develops during a colonoscopy does not mean that a medical professional was negligent, but when a doctor’s care falls below the medical standard of care and someone is injured as a result, there may be a case for medical malpractice.
If you believe you or a loved one has suffered harm due to negligent medical care, contact a Hawaii medical malpractice attorney at Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli, and Pratt, P.A. to discuss your claim.