Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims and Colon Cancer Compensation

The amount of compensation a patient that has been affected by colon cancer misdiagnosis depends on a number of factors. Each case depends upon what the patient has suffered personally as a result of the delay and how they have been affected in terms of financial costs they have incurred or how their earnings have been affected. We will consider the full impact a late colon cancer on you and advise you as an individual.

Whatever the nature of your rectal cancer negligence claim, we always seek the maximum level of compensation for our clients – and if your case is unsuccessful, we don’t charge you any fees. This is our guarantee for all standard rectal cancer negligence claims.

With our no win, no fee guarantee, you pay nothing, unless you win your compensation claim. At that point, you will only pay your insurance premium, if applicable, and the success fee, which will never be more than 25% of the amount you win.

Yes, it is possible to make a compensation claim for bowel cancer if you’re misdiagnosed, suffered a delay in diagnosis, were treated incorrectly or poorly. In order to make a successful claim you’ll need to be able to demonstrate that you received a level of care that is sub-standard to what you should be able to expect, this could include tests not being ordered when you presented the signs of colon cancer or a delay in receiving the treatment you need.

The amount of compensation you will receive if you experienced bowel cancer medical negligence will depend on your case and individual circumstances; however, we can give examples of other cases to give you an idea.

A 63-year-old woman experienced a delay in diagnosis of bowel cancer, despite a history of ulcerative colitis and the acknowledge links between the conditions from her doctor. Unfortunately, the delay meant the cancer had spread to other areas of her body and was too advanced for treatment. Her husband was awarded £150,000 in compensation.

Making a bowel cancer claim with us usually follows 10 simple steps, which begins with obtaining medical records, statements, and establishing what breach of duty occurred and what effect it had. As well as this, we establish your loss, including lost earnings (past and future) and the cost of lifestyle adaptions such as additional treatment and home accessibility. For a small number of cases, this process may include going to court but this is rare and we will ensure your case fully prepared for this scenario.

If you have been affected by medical negligence it may be possible to make a compensation claim against those responsible. However, you must make a claim within 3 years from the ‘date of knowledge’. In rectal cancer cases, this is usually the date of diagnosis.

‘Date of knowledge’ can be a confusing term but it simply refers to the point where you first realised that there had been a mistake and you were let down by the people responsible for your care. For some cases, it’s simple to pinpoint this date but in others, it can be more complex. Before receiving an accurate diagnosis it’s possible for the misdiagnosis of rectal cancer to occur several times, linking the symptoms to multiple other conditions. If you’re unsure of whether you have a claim, we can help you. Our expert team are available to listen to your experience and better help you understand if your case falls within the 3-year time limit.

In some instances, colon cancer misdiagnosis can occur, as the symptoms can be confused with other conditions or the correct tests are not ordered. It’s estimated that across all types of cancer around 10% of cases are initially misdiagnosed. This means a delay in treatment and can potentially have a significant impact on survival rates and the type of treatment that is needed.

Colon cancer misdiagnosed as diverticulitis

Diverticulitis affects the large intestine, or colon, and has symptoms that are also associated with bowel cancer, such as abdominal pain and feeling bloated.  This means that unless your GP conducts the necessary tests to rule out bowel cancer, it can be mislabelled as diverticulitis. 

Bowel cancer has many causes, such as age, diet and whether or not you smoke or drink. However, the only causes of bowel cancer that have a bearing on whether or not you can claim are:

Family history – if you have two or more first-degree relatives (parent, sibling or child) that have had bowel cancer, or one relative with a genetic condition linked to bowel cancer, you may have a higher risk of developing the condition yourself. Genetic conditions including Lynch Syndrome (also known as HNPCC), FAP (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis) and MAP (MUTYH Associated Polyposis) also increase your risk.

Cancer initially starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. These abnormal cells start to grow into polyps which than take around 10 to 15 years before they turn into colon cancer. It is possible for polyps to be picked up and removed before they become cancer through regular pre-screening tests. Those that are at an increased risk of developing bowel cancer, such as having a family history of the disease, may be invited to such screenings.

There are signs of colorectal cancer that should signal that you should visit your doctor to undergo tests for bowel cancer.  The symptoms of colon cancer include:

• Bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stools which often looks like coffee grounds
• A change in normal bowel habits
• A lump that your doctor can feel in your rectum or stomach, more commonly on the right side
• Unexplained weight loss
• Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating that is brought on by eating

The treatment for colon cancer varies depending on a number of factors, including how advanced it is and which part of the bowl is affected. If it’s caught during the early stages, there is a very good chance that treatment will be successful and prevent bowel cancer coming back in the future. However, a cure isn’t always possible.

If you’ve been diagnosed with bowel cancer you’ll be cared for by a multidisciplinary team that will decide on your personal treatment, considering a variety of factors. Your bowel cancer treatment may combine chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and biological treatments, but surgery is the main treatment for most colorectal cancer.

If you have received treatment for bowel cancer that was inappropriate for your condition, or have been misdiagnosed and received unnecessary treatment, you may be able to make a medical negligence claim.

As with other forms of cancer, the survival rate for colon cancer is improving every year. According to Cancer Research, men have a 77% chance of beating the disease, while women have a 74% chance. The colon cancer survival rate can vary depending on how quickly the cancer is identified and treatment begins. Some 98% of patients that are diagnosed during the initial stages survive the disease for at least one year but this falls to 40% when diagnosed at stage 4.

If you’ve been affected by rectal cancer misdiagnosis or another form of medical negligence, you may be able to make a claim for compensation. To bring a successful case forward you will need to demonstrate that those responsible for your care failed to provide you with the appropriate standard of care and that as a result, you have had a worse outcome from your treatment.

Misdiagnosed rectal cancer can occur for many reasons, including:

• A GP failing to notice the symptoms of rectal cancer
• Your doctor not conducting the necessary examinations during your appointment
• A failure to refer for further testing despite signs of rectal cancer
• Test results being read inaccurately
• A bowel specialist failing to recognise the signs of rectal cancer
• Abnormalities failing to be followed up
• An unnecessary delay in referral or treatment

When you first visit your GP with concerns about your health and the signs of rectal cancer they will usually carry out a digital rectal examination and examine your abdomen. They may also conduct a blood test to see if you have an iron deficiency, although a lack of iron doesn’t always indicate rectal cancer.

If your symptoms suggest you may have rectal cancer, your GP should refer you to a hospital for further testing by a bowel specialist. The main test used to diagnose rectal cancer is a colonoscopy. This involves a medical professional using a long, flexible tube with a camera on the end to examine the inside of the bowel. Other tests that may be conducted include a sigmoidoscopy, which looks inside the rectum, and a CT scan.

Rectal cancer symptoms during the early stages of the disease can often be subtle, gradually worsening as the cancer develops. However, in 90% of bowel cancer cases patients do experience symptoms, signalling that they should visit their GP for further testing. Symptoms of rectal cancer include:

• Blood in your stools
• A change in your bowel habits that happens for no obvious reason and is persistent
• Unexplained weight loss
• Pain in the abdomen or back passage
• Feeling as though you haven’t emptied your bowel properly after a bowel movement
• Unexplained tiredness

It is possible for rectal cancer misdiagnosis to occur. The symptoms of rectal cancer can be similar to many other conditions, leading to doctors dismissing the signs or linking them to other causes. An accurate and quick diagnosis often relies on a GP spotting the initial signs and ordering follow up tests to highlight any abnormalities. Where this hasn’t occurred, it is possible for a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis to happen.

Conditions it’s possible for rectal cancer to be misdiagnosed as include:

• Diverticulitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Ulcerative colitis
• Haemorrhoids

All patients that are diagnosed with bowel cancer are treated by a multidisciplinary team, which is made up of specialists in different areas. Each individual’s treatment plan is created with their circumstances in mind, such as their general health or whether the cancer has developed. The team responsible for your care will talk you through the different options and make recommendations but the final decision on which treatment you will undergo will remain with you.

Rectal cancer is a form of bowel cancer and there are many different types depending on which cells the cancer started in. The type of rectal cancer you are diagnosed with can have an impact on the treatment options that are recommended to you. The most common type of bowel cancer is adenocarcinoma, which starts in the gland cells in the lining of the bowel.

Across all types of bowel cancers, including rectal cancer, 57% of patients outlive their diagnosis for 10 years or more. In the UK, there are around 41,000 new cases of bowel cancer each year, with around a third of these being rectal cancer and 15,900 deaths as a result of the disease.

The bowel cancer survival rate is improving, when compared to 40 years ago, the figure has more than doubled in the UK. Around three-quarters of those diagnosed will survive their disease by more than a year and almost 6 in 10 do so for more than a decade. Survival rates are highest among younger people and those aged between 60 and 69, thanks to a screening programme that picks up the disease in the early stages.

Yes. If you’ve been affected by a delay in colon cancer diagnosis you may be able to make a compensation claim. In order to take a successful claim forward, you must be able to prove that the healthcare professionals responsible for your provided you with poor treatment that did not fulfil acceptable standards and that you have suffered a worse outcome as a result.

There are many ways that colon cancer misdiagnosis cases occur, including:

• The initial symptoms being linked to another condition
• The signs of colon cancer being dismissed
• The necessary tests not being ordered despite symptoms being present
• Test results being read inaccurately
• Abnormalities in test results not being followed up

It can sometimes be difficult to see whether your case and experiences are due to medical negligence but if you’re unsure we’re here to help you and guide you towards the next steps.

If you have the symptoms of colon cancer you should first book an appointment with your GP. During your appointment, your doctor is likely to ask you about your symptoms, family history, and conduct a digital rectal examination to check for lumps. Other tests that may be conducted at your doctors include an examination of your abdomen and a blood test.

Colon cancer is a bowel cancer that specifically starts in the colon, the large bowel, and is often referred to as bowel cancer. As with all types of cancer, colon cancer begins when cells within the body begin to multiply uncontrollably forming masses known as tumours. The exact reason behind what causes cells to behave abnormally in the colon is unknown but there are associated risk factors that means the disease is more likely to develop.

According to Cancer Research UK, 57% of patients diagnosed with bowel cancer survive their diagnosis for 10 years or more. However, the survival rate varies depending on a range of factors, such as how quickly the cancer is diagnosed and the age of the patient.

When diagnosed at its earliest stage, more than 9 in 10 people with bowel cancer will survive their disease for 5 years or more, while the figure is less than 1 in 10 when diagnosed at the latest stage. Those in younger age groups are also more likely to survive the disease for longer as are those aged between 60-69 when diagnosed, although this is linked to screening programmes picking up the disease in the earlier stages.