Hospital misses PSA Test and Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

A client who was not given a crucial PSA test which would have revealed earlier that he had prostate cancer received a financial settlement when Pearson Solicitors took on his medical negligence case.

Our client, who was in his 60s at the time, had been losing a large amount of weight and had had several falls when his GP referred him to the Fairfield General Hospital.

A follow up CT scan of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis revealed sclerotic lesions and a PSA test was recommended.  It would appear no follow up care was given, no PSA test was done, he was not reviewed by a consultant and his GP was not made aware of the findings.

Prostate Cancer Delayed Diagnosis

Two months later our client was experiencing more pain in his joints and treated for inflammatory arthritis.  A couple of months later his hips were hurting and he had mobility issues.  An x-ray suggested the bone lesions found earlier were secondary to another issue and when he finally did have a PSA test it was found that our client had a highly elevated PSA and he was placed on the 2 week urology cancer pathway.

Over one and a half years from his initial hospital visit our client was told he had metastatic prostate cancer and started on treatment to reduce his PSA levels and treat the cancer.

What is a PSA Test for Prostate Cancer?

The PSA test is a blood test that measures the amount of ‘prostate-specific antigen' (PSA) in your blood. A raised PSA level may indicate prostate cancer, as was the case with our client.

“Early screening, especially in cancer cases is crucial to successful treatment and higher survival rates,” said Solicitor and Head of Medical Negligence at Pearson Solicitor Jacqueline White.

“People should not be afraid to challenge the system if they have not had follow up and I recommend that anyone experiencing unusual symptoms or something they are not happy about to contact their GP as soon as possible.  Then if you are not happy with the treatment from the hospital make sure you keep all your notes and document what is said to you and the dates.”

Delayed Diagnosis Case

“In this case our client would always have had a prostate cancer diagnosis, but it would have been caught much earlier, it may have been stage 3 not stage 4 and treatment would have been 18months earlier and his metastatic symptoms of bone and joint pain, fatigues, malaise and weight loss could have been avoided,” added Jacqueline White.

A settlement of £15,000 was made by The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust for pain suffering and loss of amenity.  Special damages including addition care, cost of aids and ongoing treatment was also considered.

How can we help?

For legal advice on medical negligence compensation cases or missed cancer claims contact our medical negligence solicitors on 0161 785 3500 or enquiries@pearsonlegal.co.uk.

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Please note that the information and opinions contained in this article are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to provide legal advice. No responsibility for its accuracy or correctness is assumed by Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd or any of its members or employees. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking, or refraining from taking, any action as a result of this article.