What Is a Prostate and Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosis?
The prostate is a gland that helps a man make semen, the fluid that carries sperm. It sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra (which is the tube men urinate and ejaculate through). The most common prostate problems are an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer can develop when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. The malignant cells become a tumour. Prostate cancer often grows slowly to start with and may never cause any problems. But a minority of prostate cancers are aggressive and, therefore, are more likely to spread.
Prostate cancer misdiagnosis involves a failure to diagnose prostate cancer accurately. It can mean patients are incorrectly diagnosed with prostate cancer, or they are not diagnosed when prostate cancer is present.
If you believe you have a cancer claim, please contact our solicitors.
Causes of Prostate Cancer Negligence
There can be many good reasons for asking prostate cancer medical lawyers whether you should bring a cancer case for compensation. You, or a loved one, may be eligible to make a prostate cancer claim if you feel that:
- A GP or a hospital doctor did not take your symptoms seriously.
- Your GP may have refused your request for a PSA test, failed to arrange a PSA test or failed to make a referral to the hospital for investigation.
- Test results were misinterpreted or overlooked.
- Appointments for investigations were late or kept being cancelled and rearranged.
- Late diagnosis meant that more extensive surgery was needed.
- Late diagnosis allowed cancer to spread or took away any chance of a cure.
If you are unhappy with your care, you may understandably wish to bring a medical negligence claim for compensation.
You may wish to try and prevent mistakes from happening to other cancer patients, like yourself, in the future.
Implications of Prostate Cancer Negligence
A prostate cancer delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis can have serious financial consequences for patients and their families.
- Long-term health implications
Those facing a prostate cancer delayed diagnosis may be affected by more serious long-term health complications once the cancer starts to spread. Injuries can include pain as the cancer spreads, especially into the bones and other organs; there can be some impact on sexual function because of the delay in diagnosis and treatment, and there can be bowel issues as well as an increased risk to life, i.e. it carries a high mortality rate. Treatment, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormones, can be aggressive and carries its own side effects.
- Treatment implications
Later-stage cancer demands more complex treatments, which may not be as effective as they would have been at early stages. Delayed treatment is also often less successful.
- Emotional implications
Those who have experienced prostate cancer negligence may struggle with stress, anxiety, and depression, especially if the misdiagnosis is only detected once significant harm has already been done. The patient may lose trust in medical professionals, affecting their willingness to seek care in the future.
- Financial implications
Later-stage treatments can be significantly expensive, and advanced prostate cancer may affect a patient’s ability to work, leading to lost income.
What Happens When You Make a Prostate Cancer Claim?
If you want to pursue a prostate cancer claim, a member of our team can help. We can discuss:
- Whether you have a valid prostate cancer misdiagnosis claim
- Information and documentation we require
- How we will manage your prostate cancer claim
- The amount of compensation you may be owed
- How our ‘No Win, No Fee’ agreement operates
After your consultation, our specialist solicitors will start collecting evidence to support your prostate cancer misdiagnosis case and begin negotiations.
What Benefits Can I Claim with Prostate Cancer?
You may be able to gain financial support if you have prostate cancer. In the event of a successful claim, your prostate cancer compensation can help cover a broad range of costs resulting from the misdiagnosis, including:
- Emotional and physical damage, including pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, and emotional distress
- Medical cover, including treatment, surgeries, and medication
- Follow-up and ongoing care costs
- Loss of income/pension
- Travel and accommodation expenses
If you need specialised help and advice, please reach out to us.
Ready to Make Your Prostate Cancer Claim?
Our specialist solicitors have handled many different types of cancer claims, including medical negligence claims for the delay in treating prostate cancer. Check out some of our prostate cancer case studies below to explore the sort of claims that we can help investigate for you.
- £100,000 damages for 2.5-year delay in prostate cancer diagnosis
- Injury during prostate removal leads to £160,000 compensation
Do contact our friendly team about whether your cancer treatment was reasonable. Our team of specialist lawyers will speak to you free of charge to assess your case.
We conduct most clinical and medical negligence claims under Conditional Fee Agreements. Our clients do not have to worry about how to pay for prostate cancer claims; you have nothing to lose in speaking with us.
Prostate Cancer Claims: FAQs
What can be mistaken for prostate cancer?
When it comes to what looks like prostate cancer but is not, the first answer is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which involves the enlargement of the prostate and similar symptoms.
Prostatitis, the inflammation of the prostate gland, can also look like prostate cancer, as well as urinary tract infections and kidney stones.
What is the payout for prostate cancer?
The payout for prostate cancer claims can vary depending on the case's complexity. Factors impacting this include the situation’s severity, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Because of this, each case is reviewed individually.
You can observe our examples of medical negligence settlements and payout guide for more details.
How long can you leave prostate cancer untreated?
Prostate cancer is typically slow-growing, meaning it can go undetected for long periods. It can take years to spread through the human body, although it’s important to note here that it is life-threatening if undetected.
When should you see your GP about your prostate?
Younger men should not make the mistake of thinking that this is only an old man’s disease. Early diagnosis is very important, symptoms can come on slowly. Individuals should always seek medical attention for any of the following urinary symptoms:
- If your ability to pass urine normally has been affected
- Problems with flow rate
- Any hesitancy and/or dribbling
- Increase in urinary frequency (needing ‘to go’ more often!)
- Haematuria (blood in urine)
- Nocturia (waking up in the middle of the night to urinate)
What are some other possibly relevant symptoms of prostate cancer?
Whatever a gentleman’s age, if a rectal exam reveals a hard, nodular prostate, then an urgent referral must be made.
Prostate cancer should be suspected in men who have any of the following symptoms that are otherwise unexplained:
- Lower back bone pain
- Lethargy
- Erectile dysfunction
- Haematuria
- Anorexia/weight loss
- Lower urinary tract symptoms
When should you be referred to a specialist (Urologist) to investigate possible prostate cancer?
A GP should arrange a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test. A normal range is age-dependent, but usually, if your PSA is over 4.0 and you complain of the above symptoms, your GP should refer you urgently to a hospital for investigation under a two-week wait rule as identified by the National Institute of Health Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines.
