£40,000 for client wrongly diagnosed with terminal cancer

Associate Zoe Diss successfully secured a £40,000 settlement on behalf of her client, Mrs M who was led to believe she had terminal cancer for four years before her diagnosis was discovered to be incorrect.

She was found to have been suffering from sarcoidosis instead, but not before undergoing stressful and unnecessary treatment and experiencing years of mental anguish.

Unnecessary treatment and procedures

In order to treat the misdiagnosed cancer, Mrs M underwent toxic chemotherapy and Denosumab administration, facing many unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, bowel issues, hair loss and dry mouth. She was frequently subjected to reviews and CT scans.

One such CT scan was reported as suspicious for sarcoidosis in 2017 and Mrs M was transferred to a different hospital. Her lung tissue was sampled for the second time (with an EBUS procedure) and it showed signs of sarcoidosis.

Mrs M continues to experience the adverse emotional and psychological effects of her misdiagnosis, in addition to the physical and emotional suffering she was put through during the four-year period.

Expert evidence for clinical negligence

Following the correct diagnosis of sarcoidosis, Mrs M instructed Associate Zoe Diss to seek compensation for the unnecessary suffering she endured because of the incorrect diagnosis. As well as the physical side effects of her unnecessary treatment, Mrs M understandably suffered considerable emotional trauma.

Using the panel of medical experts available to Blackwater Law, Zoe utilised reports from a Consultant Pathologist, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Consultant Respiratory Physician. Zoe was then able to establish that the multi-disciplinary team at the trust-based its diagnosis on suspicions rather than undergoing further investigations to firmly establish Mrs M’s condition.

Blackwater Law also utilised the expertise of a consultant psychologist to address the psychological injuries caused by the incorrect cancer diagnosis.