Representing New York Victims of Lymphoma Misdiagnoses
Lymphoma is one of the most complex forms of cancer and is capable of developing in the lymph nodes, the spleen, bone marrow, and even vital organs. It begins in infection-fighting cells known as lymphocytes, which can grow and expand into cancerous cells over time. In the early stages, it can present itself with symptoms like swollen lymph nodes, fevers, night sweats, shortness of breath, fatigue, and weight loss. While treatable if caught early, the survival rate can drop drastically if lymphoma is left untreated.
Doctors should always address concerns about cancer as thoroughly and professionally as possible. This means performing the proper tests, developing in-depth treatment plans, and responding to patient needs. When doctors dismiss a patient’s concerns, do not perform the proper tests, or ignore the signs of lymphoma, they can be found liable in a medical malpractice claim for failing to diagnose lymphoma.
If you or someone you love suffered a lymphoma misdiagnosis because of a negligent doctor or hospital, you should speak to an experienced medical malpractice law firm as soon as possible. At Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, our team of dedicated New York lymphoma misdiagnosis attorneys can review the circumstances of your medical treatment and determine if your eligible to file a claim. We are devoted to serving patients injured by negligent hospitals, doctors, and staff. If you suffered undue harm due to a lymphoma misdiagnosis, we can demand full and proper compensation for your injuries. Call our office at (212) 986-7353 to discuss your case in a free consultation.
What Is Lymphoma and How Is It Tested?
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the body’s immune system, starting with cells called lymphocytes, which develop in the body’s lymph nodes. Our lymph nodes are located in the neck, under the armpits, groin, stomach, and between the lungs. Typically, swollen lymph nodes are one of the earliest signs of lymphoma, which is why doctors will check them first during a diagnosis.
Lymphoma typically develops in two forms: Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is easier to diagnose because these cancer cells grow larger than non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and are easy to detect when inspecting the lymph nodes. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in contrast, is a cancer that grows in the body’s white blood cells and is better detected during a blood test. A doctor may also order a biopsy of your lymph nodes, a bone marrow test, or imaging scans to see if the cancer has spread to the rest of your body.
However, despite the variety of tests a doctor can employ to diagnose lymphoma, medical errors still occur. Cancer often requires aggressive and immediate treatment to slow the spread and give the patient a fighting chance of recovery, and lymphoma is no different. This cancer can spread all throughout your body and cause further complications if medical treatment is delayed due to a misdiagnosis.
How Do Misdiagnoses Occur?
Being misdiagnosed when you have cancer is a horrible situation to be in. Whenever we go to a hospital, we expect the staff to use all of their knowledge, skill, and experience to properly assess our conditions and provide thorough treatment. Unfortunately, misdiagnoses can occur. While lymphoma has many overlapping symptoms with other medical conditions, doctors should always run all necessary tests and consider every possibility as new symptoms develop.
Misdiagnoses are the result of medical errors committing by doctors, nurses, and administrators. Doctors may order the wrong tests or not test you at all, assuming your symptoms were caused by another injury or illness. Even when they do request the right tests, hospital staff may mix them up with another patient’s test results, perform the test incorrectly, or provide inaccurate results to the doctor.
In other cases, doctors may falsely assume you have lymphoma when you in fact have another condition altogether. There is a disease known as indolent T-cell lymphoproliferative disease that features many of the same symptoms as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. If a doctor wrongfully diagnosed you with lymphoma and followed through on cancer treatment, he almost certainly put you through unnecessary harm, all the while failing to treat your actual, worsening condition.
There is no excuse for misdiagnosing cancer. Medical professionals should thoroughly check every medical possibility, review every test result, and perform every procedure with a clear and focused mind. If a medical professional’s negligence caused a lymphoma misdiagnosis or caused your treatment to be delayed, you may be able to pursue compensation in a medical malpractice claim.
What Are the Steps to a Medical Malpractice Claim?
In order to file a successful medical malpractice claim, you must prove that a medical professional failed to diagnose you with lymphoma in a reasonable and timely manner or incorrectly diagnosed you with lymphoma due to negligence. Medical negligence can take many forms, such as ordering the wrong tests or misreading test results, but it must involve some level of medical error. In addition to proving that negligence occurred, you must also show that the negligence led to an injury or damages.
For example, if a doctor missed a lymphoma diagnosis by a few days but quickly fixed the mistake and got you on the right treatment plan, you would not be able to pursue a claim if you were not injured. However, if the doctor started you on the wrong treatment plan because of a misdiagnosis and your lymphoma went untreated, you could suffer serious harm down the line. A cancer misdiagnosis is significantly more dangerous than failing to diagnose a patient with a cold. It can lead to months of agony and discomfort, costly medical bills, and even unnecessary treatments.
If you can prove that you suffered an injury or harm as a result of a doctor’s negligence, then you have the basis for a medical malpractice claim. Through a claim, you could recover several types of compensation, including:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost wages from time off work
- Permanent disabilities
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment
In addition, if you lost a family member due to a lymphoma misdiagnosis, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim against the hospital. Compensation for family members is slightly different than it is for victims, but you can recover:
- Medical bills related to your loved one’s treatment
- Lost future wages if your loved one contributed to your household
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of consortium, love, and emotional support
- Loss of household contributions, such as taking care of children, chores, etc.
- Pain and suffering for your loved one’s misdiagnosis
The team at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, is well-versed in filing successful and thorough medical malpractice and wrongful death claims. We’ll speak to you and your family in a free consultation to discuss the nature of your medical treatment and determine if negligence occurred. We are dedicated to helping mistreated patients and their families recover compensation when their doctors fail them.
Why You Should Contact WRSMH
With over 50 years of experience, the NY medical malpractice attorneys at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, have represented numerous clients and their families in medical malpractice claims. We understand how to thoroughly investigate a negligent medical professional and determine how a patient was misdiagnosed and mistreated. We also have extensive experience working with knowledgeable medical professionals who can review your records and determine the best options for your case. If you or someone you love has suffered due to a lymphoma misdiagnosis, contact Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, at (212) 986-7353. We are prepared to fight for your right to compensation.
Additional Information
Our Medical Malpractice Case Results
$16 Million - Two Medical Malpractice Cases Involving Brain Damage
Phil Russotti recently obtained settlements for two brain damaged individuals and their families totaling guaranteed payouts in excess of $16,000,000.
Philip Russotti
$12.085 Million - Failure to Timely Deliver an Infant
This is a case involving the failure to timely deliver an infant to a first-time mother and resulting in severe brain damage to the child who is now 6 years old.
WRSMH LLP
$10.7 Million - Medical Malpractice Verdict In Queens County, NY
The female plaintiff fell down a flight of stairs at work and suffered a brain herniation that compressed the brain stem, which she contended was due to delayed treatment at the hospital emergency room.
WRSMH LLP
$10.2 Million - Infant Brain Damage Due to Medical Malpractice in New York
New York lawyer, Philip Russotti, won a $10,200,000 settlement for an infant who has catastrophic neurologic injuries caused by brain damage that resulted from herpes that went undiagnosed in 2003.
Philip Russotti
$8.5 Million - Verdict For NY Stroke Victim
A 62 year-old man suffered a stroke following a delay in surgery and discontinuance of a medication (Heparin) which prevents blood clotting.
WRSMH LLP
$6.6 Million - Improperly Performed Spinal Surgeries
At an extensive settlement mediation prior to jury selection, Phil Russotti settled a medical malpractice action on behalf of a old man against his neurosurgeon for improperly performing two spinal fusion surgeries.
Philip Russotti
$6.2 Million - Highest Personal Injury Verdict in Putnam County History
The plaintiff contended that an orthopedic surgeon failed to take a biopsy before performing surgery to remove a suspected Baker's cyst despite signs on MRI that the growth might be malignant.
WRSMH LLP
$6.15 Million - Negligent Administration of Excessive Steroids For Lupus
Philip Russotti obtained a verdict in a case venued and tried in Hawaii, for approximately six weeks. It was a complex medical malpractice case involving an infant plaintiff who sustained numerous permanent injuries.
Philip Russotti
$6.15 Million - Largest Verdict in Hawaii Personal Injury History
Phil Russotti recently obtained the largest jury verdict in Hawaii in a personal injury suit, a $6.15 million dollar verdict for a 14 year old girl who suffered steroid myopathy.
Philip Russotti
$6.1 Million - Union Plumber in Trip-and-Fall, Medical Malpractice Action
Attorneys with Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, obtained a settlement in the amount of $6,100,000 for a 57-year-old union plumber who tripped and fell at a construction site.
Kenneth Halperin, Jason Rubin
$6 Million - Newborn Who Sustained Brain and Kidney Injuries
The firm settled a case involving a newborn who sustained serious injuries during a double exchange transfusion.
WRSMH LLP
$4.5 Million - New York Medical Malpractice Case
Phil Russotti recently settled a case against five doctors after eight weeks of trial for $4.5 million dollars. The case concerned their failure to timely diagnose appendicitis and operate on a 17 year old boy.
Philip Russotti
$4.25 Million - Client Developed Permanent Steroid Myopathy
Phil Russotti obtained the second largest medical malpractice jury verdict in the State of Hawaii's history on behalf of a young woman who developed steroid myopathy after administration of excessive amounts of steroids.
Philip Russotti
$3.75 Million - Recovery For Disabled Siamese Twin in New York
The firm recently obtained an extraordinary settlement in an extremely difficult medical malpractice case.
WRSMH LLP
$3.5 Million - Medical Malpractice/Wrongful Death for Failure to Diagnose
Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP attorney Jason Rubin obtained a $3.5 million settlement in a case involving the failure to diagnose acute coronary syndrome in a 34-year-old married father of two children.
Jason Rubin
$3 Million - NY Medical Malpractice/Wrongful Death
Just prior to jury selection, Jason Rubin reached a $3 million settlement in a case arising out of the death of a 35 year old, unmarried mother of four.
Jason Rubin
$3 Million - Patient Develops Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Due to Medication
Jason Rubin successfully represented a young man who experienced a severe case of toxic epidermal necrolysis due to medication.
Jason Rubin
$3 Million - Woman Died of Ovarian Cancer
Phil Russotti and Jason Rubin obtained a $3 million settlement in a medical malpractice/wrongful death case, involving a 59 year old woman who died of ovarian cancer.
Philip Russotti, Jason Rubin
$2.95 Million - Wrongful Death Claim in New York
After a month-long trial and during jury deliberations, Jason Rubin settled a medical malpractice/wrongful death case for $2.95 million.
Jason Rubin
$2.75 Million - Fatal Medical Malpractice
Prior to trial, Jason Rubin obtained a $2.75 million settlement in a medical malpractice case involving injuries sustained by an infant at birth, which lead to his death six years later.
Jason Rubin