Medical Injury – Failure To Diagnose Breast Cancer

As medical malpractice attorneys in Boston, MA, we know that the early detection of breast cancers and the technologies that make early detection possible, represent some of the greatest advances in modern diagnostic medicine. Among the more common screening methods is the process of mammography, which is a radiographic examination of the interior of the breast. Radiologists who read these films are highly trained to identify subtle changes in breast tissue that may indicate the presence of cancerous or malignant tumors, as well as microcalcifications, which may signal the early formation of such tumors. The failure of a radiologist to identify apparent evidence of cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions is a common cause of medical malpractice cases. Lawyers who represent victims of medical negligence in this area must be prepared to demonstrate that the radiologist charged with misreading the patient’s films, failed to identify evidence of cancer or precancerous conditions that the average qualified radiologist would otherwise have been expected to identify and report on. While this is not to suggest that all such evidence is detectable by way of contemporary mammography, or that even the most well-trained eye can spot every sign of cancer, cases involving the failure on the part of radiologists to report clear and convincing evidence of treatable cancers have been the source of numerous jury in past years.

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