UK PROSTATE CANCER COMPENSATION CLAIMS

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men. Over 30,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the UK and over 10% will die from this disease. Some of these deaths are unnecessary and are as a result of medical negligence due to failure to ensure timely diagnosis. New diagnostic tools are available for early detection and doctors owe a duty of care to ensure prompt examination. Medical negligence can include any of the following failures by a doctor:

• Failing to monitor patients with a family history of cancer of the prostate;
• Failing to perform a prostate examination or PSA blood test;
• Failing to identify a cancerous mass during a prostate examination;
• Ignoring or failing to recognise a patient's symptoms;
• Failing to perform a biopsy when test results are not normal;
• Ignoring blood test or biopsy results;
• Failing to follow-up with the patient;
• Losing records:

Most prostate cancer can now be found using modern diagnostic techniques before they cause symptoms. Most of the symptoms listed below can be associated with cancer of the prostate, but they are more often associated with non-cancerous conditions.

• Delayed or slowed start of urinary stream;
• Urinary dribbling, especially immediately after urinating;
• Urinary retention;
• Pain with urination;
• Pain with ejaculation;
• Lower back pain;
• Pain with bowel movement;
• Excessive urination at night;
• Incontinence;
• Blood in the urine;
• Abdominal pain;
• Anaemia;
• Weight loss;
• Lethargy;

Screening and diagnosis may include:

• Digital rectal examination may reveal abnormalities of structure which are often associated with cancer. A biopsy should be carried out following abnormal findings however a positive diagnosis subsequently results in only 20% of cases.
• Prostate biopsy is usually performed without anaesthesia and carries a relatively low risk of significant infection. Blood in the urine or in bowel movements can be common for a few days following the biopsy however blood in the semen may last for several weeks.
• PSA screening which has revolutionized diagnosis. PSA is a naturally occurring chemical in the body, the level of which is increased by a number of conditions including cancer of the prostate. Subsequent biopsy will confirm approximately 20% of raised PSA levels as resulting from cancer.

Medical negligence is a broad term used to describe any treatment, lack of treatment, or other departure from accepted standards of medical care, health care, or safety on the part of a health care provider which causes harm to a patient. Medical negligence can include misdiagnosis, improper treatment, failure to treat, delay in treatment, failure to perform appropriate follow-up and prescription errors.

If you believe that your doctor has been negligent in diagnosis or treatment and you would like free advice on our Legal Aid and no win no fee compensation claim service then just complete the contact form and a member of The Law Society panel of medical negligence experts will telephone you with no obligation.