£20,000 obtained for failure to diagnose prostate cancer

Julie Crossley, a medical negligence specialist at Ashtons, has obtained a £20,000 settlement for a man whose prostate cancer was not diagnosed until it had progressed, after doctors missed an opportunity for diagnosis several years earlier.

Although Mr B’s cancer was still able to be treated when it was identified, and the same surgery would probably have been required at the earlier stage, he has had to undergo radiotherapy and hormone therapy which would not otherwise have been the case. His chances of survival beyond five years have also decreased as a result of the time delay.

Julie comments: “Unfortunately we see too many instances where early symptoms of a problem are not acted upon as quickly as they could and should have been, with negative consequences for the patient. There are also, of course, negative consequences for the NHS when diagnosis is delayed because the treatment required to deal with the problem tends to be more intensive. It is in everyone’s interest for early diagnosis to be a priority.”