A delayed cancer diagnosis can be devastating. Cancer that’s caught early is often far more treatable than cancer that’s allowed to progress undetected, which means a delay in diagnosis can directly affect a patient’s chances of survival. Unfortunately, this kind of delay is more common than many people realize, and understanding who can be held accountable is an important first step for patients and families considering a claim.
Delayed Diagnosis Is More Common Than You Might Think
A recent study found that roughly 25% of cancer patients experience some form of delay in their diagnosis. That means a quarter of people facing a cancer diagnosis are also facing the added burden of lost time.
A delay can happen in a number of ways: a doctor misreading test results, dismissing symptoms, failing to order the right screening, or simply not following up on concerning findings. When that delay causes real harm to the patient, it may be grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Who Can Be Held Liable?
In most delayed cancer diagnosis cases, liability doesn’t rest with just one person. Typically, both the individual doctor and their employer can be named in a claim.
The employer is often a practice group, hospital, or larger medical system. Because healthcare providers usually work within these larger organizations, the organization itself can share responsibility when a diagnosis is missed or delayed.
The Growing Role of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants
Healthcare has changed significantly in recent years, with nurse practitioners and physician assistants taking on a larger share of patient care and diagnostic responsibility. As their role in the diagnostic process has grown, so has their potential exposure to malpractice claims. It’s increasingly common for these providers to be named alongside physicians in delayed diagnosis lawsuits, particularly in cases where they were responsible for evaluating symptoms, ordering tests, or interpreting results.
What This Means for Patients
If you or a loved one experienced a delay in a cancer diagnosis, it’s worth understanding that liability isn’t necessarily limited to the doctor you saw. The practice group, hospital system, and any other providers involved in your care, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, may all play a role in how a claim is evaluated.
Because these cases often involve multiple parties and require careful review of medical records, working with an attorney experienced in delayed cancer diagnosis claims is essential to understanding your options.
To learn more about Marciano Legal and our cancer delayed diagnosis attorneys, please feel free to contact us online. You can also dial (215) 515-7743 if you need legal help for a claim of your own in Pennsylvania.
