Stomach or gastric cancer is the development and growth of cancerous cells in the stomach. The chances of surviving this cancer have a great deal to do with how early it is caught. When the cancer is contained to a single site and diagnosed early the five year survival rate is close to 65 percent. The survival rate drops significantly once the cancer spreads.
It is most unfortunate but a delay in the diagnosis of this disease may be the result of negligence on the part of your doctor or other involved medical professional. If you have reason to believe this to be the case you should contact a stomach cancer lawyer in Chicago.
How is stomach cancer diagnosed?
There are numerous early symptoms of stomach cancer, these include:
* Stomach pain and an increase in indigestion
* A feeling of being bloated after meals
* Loss of appetite, nausea and heartburn
As the cancer progresses the individual may notice blood in his or her stool, weight loss for no good reason, jaundice and difficulty with swallowing.
How can a missed or delayed diagnosis of stomach cancer happen?
Under normal circumstances a primary care physician that was told of these symptoms by a patient would immediately refer the person to a specialist. The gastroenterologist would run a host of tests including blood chemistry, CT or CAT scan, barium X-Ray, perform an upper endoscopy and take tissue samples for a biopsy.
When stomach cancer is misdiagnosed it often is the result of miscommunication. Hospitals are extremely busy places, although efforts are made to ensure that miscommunication between people such as radiologists, physicians, the nursing staff, etc does not happen, it can and does.
Although people place absolute trust in medical personnel, unfortunately there are times when serious errors are made, the results of which are life threatening. A patient that believes he or she is the subject of medical malpractice should contact a stomach cancer lawyer in Chicago.
If you or a member of your family has suffered as a result of misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis of gastric cancer you should get in touch with a seasoned stomach cancer lawyer in Chicago without delay. For a no cost evaluation of your case you are invited to contact Hughes Law Offices LLC or visit http://www.dieselinjurylaw.com/cancers for more details.
