Several studies have shown that the leading cause of death in the U.S. is slowly shifting from heart disease to cancer, particularly in wealthy counties. More than 600,000 Americans die from cancer each year, and millions of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with various types of cancer.

“There are an estimated more than 3,500 active oncologists in the U.S., who study, diagnose, and treat cancerous tumors in patients,” says our Philadelphia oncology malpractice attorney at The Weitz Firm, LLC. Oncology is divided into several subspecialties based on the type or location of cancer:

  • Medical oncology (treating cancer with chemotherapy or medication)
  • Radiation oncology (treating cancer with radiation)
  • Surgical oncology (performing surgery to remove tumors and performing biopsies)
  • Gynecological oncology (treating cancers of the female reproductive system, including ovarian cancer and uterine cancer) and
  • Pediatric oncology (focusing on treating cancer in children)

While oncologists in the U.S. boast an annual salary of more than $320,000, besides finishing medical school, it takes up to 3 years of residency in internal medicine and up to 2 years of residency or fellowship in oncology to be board certified in an oncology specialty.

Cancer care and medical malpractice

Cancer care consists of various aspects, including but not limited to:

  • Locating cancer
  • Diagnosing the type of cancer
  • Creating a treatment plan to reduce the size of or remove the cancer
  • If shrinking or removing the cancer is not possible, creating a treatment plan to prevent the cancer from progressing
  • Checking the patient’s medical history
  • Performing physical examination
  • Performing biopsy and other diagnostic tests and studies and
  • Performing chemotherapy, radiation, radio-ablation, surgery, and a variety of other procedures

Unfortunately, like any other medical professional, an oncologist can make many mistakes when providing treatment or diagnosis to patients. These mistakes may amount to oncology malpractice, which is a form of medical malpractice. In order to determine whether or not your oncologist’s actions constitute medical malpractice, it is advised to speak to an experienced oncology malpractice attorney in Philadelphia or elsewhere in Pennsylvania.

Different types of oncology malpractice

To sue an oncologist for medical malpractice, you will have to show evidence that the oncologist breached his or her duty of care when performing surgery, providing treatment or diagnosis. The following oncology-related errors may amount to deviations from the accepted standard of care among oncologists:

  • Failure to order appropriate tests to diagnose cancer in a timely manner (for example, a CT or PET scan)
  • Misdiagnosis of cancer
  • Delayed treatment of cancer
  • Chemotherapy drug errors
  • Failure to properly interpret or read the results of diagnostic tests or studies (for examples, CEA values)
  • Failure to obtain clean margins
  • Failure to perform comprehensive cancer surgery
  • Failure to differentiate between a benign tumor and a malignant tumor
  • Failure to warn patients of side effects and risks associated with a proposed treatment or surgery
  • Failure to properly prescribe or administer the right medication
  • Failure to obtain informed consent before beginning treatment or surgery
  • Failure to provide appropriate follow-up care and
  • Failure to monitor the progress of the treatment

As you may have guessed, proving that your oncologist is guilty of oncology malpractice can be tricky, because it requires you to prove that your injury was caused by the oncologist’s actions or lack of action rather than a result of the progression of cancer.

You may want to speak to our Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers at The Weitz Firm, LLC, to gather sufficient evidence about your condition and establish that you are entitled to compensation due to oncology malpractice. Schedule a free consultation by calling at 267-587-6240.

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