Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers. Statistics provided by Cancer Research UK shows that bowel cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in both men and women and is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in England. Bowel cancer resulted in an average of 44,063 deaths a year between 2017 and 2019.
A common area of negligence is misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis. Early detection of bowel cancer is a key factor in increasing the chance of recovery. Those diagnosed with stage 1 cancer, when it is at its earliest, have a 98% one year survival rate, while those diagnosed with stage 4 cancer have only a 44% survival rate for men and 35% for women. Any delay can have serious impact on the chances of recovery.
Research showed that the UK falls shockingly behind in early diagnosis of bowel cancer compared to other high-income countries. Only 14.4% of cases are diagnosed at stage 1 compared to 20.8% in Australia and 22.3% in Canada. Early diagnosis is not the only problem. The same study showed that stage 4 treatment in the UK is also subpar, with the survival rate of those with stage 4 bowel cancer being less than half of that in Australia, Denmark, and Norway. More recent research by Cancer Research UK suggests that a quarter of cancer patients experience avoidable delays to their diagnosis.
Do you have a claim for bowel cancer?
There are several reasons as to why a bowel cancer negligence claim may be raised:
- An inadequate examination by your GP.
- A delayed referral to a specialist.
- Not recognising suspicious symptoms.
- Inappropriate application or interpretation of tests.
- Failure to recall a patient for a repeat test.
- Negligent post diagnosis treatment.
The treatments available to you for your bowel cancer can be drastically altered by a delayed diagnosis. A delay can lead to the cancer metastasizing or the development of a secondary cancer which in turn may lead to the need for invasive treatment or treatment with severe side effects, where the cancer could have been treated in a much milder way had it been treated earlier. Delays can lead to pain and suffering for the patient and even a decrease in the survival rate.
Early diagnosis is not the only important step in bowel cancer recovery. Surgeries such as a local resection and colectomy are used to directly remove the cancer from the bowel. You may have a claim if you believe that your surgery was not performed to a reasonable standard and could potentially claim losses for any complications you suffered from as a result.
If you believe that you have suffered as a result of negligent bowel cancer care, contact our experienced Medical Negligence team. You can contact us for a FREE initial consultation with one of our legal experts.
Cullompton 01884 33818
Exeter 01392 285000
Stats about Bowel Cancer:
- Cancer research UK
- Gov blog about bowel cancer “Early detection is fundamental to short and long-term survival. The earlier bowel cancer is diagnosed the better. One year survival for those diagnosed with a stage 1 (earliest) cancer is 98% for men and women. When detected at stage 4 (the most advanced stage), 1 year survival is much lower: 44% for men and 35% for women.”
- Bowel Cancer UK (2015)