Medical malpractice attorneys work with individuals who are injured due to negligence, misdiagnosis, and the like, on the part of a doctor or other medical professional. Though these lawsuits allege circumstances resulting in personal injuries to the patient, it’s important to note that not all errors on the part of medical professionals and misdiagnosis result in malpractice cases. The lack of a desired outcome in medical care is essentially an intrinsic factor in the practice of medicine. However, malpractice attorneys become involved when:

The patient believes he or she has suffered significant injury.
The facility or medical practitioner did not provide medical care to the patient within the standard of care expected from a professional.
The negligence, lack of care, or medical mistake directly resulted in harm or injury to the patient.

The top five diseases that result in patients obtaining monetary compensation for malpractice suits are:

• Breast Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Colon Cancer/Rectal Cancer
• Heart Attacks
• Appendicitis

Often times, the allegations in a medical malpractice case are from misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or failure to promptly perform diagnostic testing. The delay of diagnosis or testing can result in the patient’s complications worsening and sometimes death. Because the end result of a misdiagnosis of breast cancer, lung cancer, colon/rectal cancer, heart attacks, and appendicitis is so severe, resulting legal cases occur and large monetary settlements can be reached.

Breast Cancer: Most cases regarding the misdiagnosis of breast cancer result from medical misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. In many cases, the severity of the breast lump or symptom are not accounted for or perhaps underestimated. Often times, cancerous tissue is seen as benign or part of a fibrocystic condition, as this is far more typical then breast cancer. If a doctor or medical professional misdiagnoses breast cancer, the condition may worsen over time and become increasingly difficult to cure.

Lung Cancer: Lung cancer is similar to breast cancer in that if misdiagnosed or given a delayed diagnosis, it can become difficult to treat and sometimes result in patient death.

Colon Cancer/Rectal Cancer: Typical colon cancer cases result from misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, resulting in a poorer patient outcome. In cases of colon cancer/rectal cancer misdiagnosis, diagnostic methods either do not discover cancer or do but fail to diagnose or report the cases. Sometimes cases may go unnoticed, often assumed to be IBS or “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”.

Heart Attacks: Despite their frequency, heart attacks can be misdiagnosed by medical providers and assumed to be heartburn, acid reflux, or stomach pain. Often times, a misdiagnosis can result from less common circumstances: if a patient isn’t experiencing intense chest pain or they’re female and younger, the heart attack will go unnoticed. The delayed diagnosis can result in severe consequences to the patient’s health.

Appendicitis: Appendicitis is particularly difficult to diagnose in the emergency room because there are many other factors that cause abdominal pain. If overlooked, the consequences can be severe. Often time infants or very young children suffer from appendicitis and then suffer tragic outcomes because they are not diagnosed.