Melanoma and Skin Cancer Misdiagnosis

What happens if skin cancer is misdiagnosed?

There are two main types of skin cancer, and both can become dangerous if they are not diagnosed early enough:

• Melanoma
  Melanoma can develop in existing moles, or as new marks on the skin. If it is not treated early, melanoma can quickly spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
• Non-melanoma
  Non-melanoma skin cancer is more common and easier to treat. It will usually appear as a lump or discoloured skin patch that doesn’t heal.

If either of these skin cancers are misdiagnosed – or if a diagnosis comes too late – there is the risk that treatment will not be as effective.

According to Cancer Research UK, almost 100% of people diagnosed in stage one will live for at least another five years. But this percentage drops to just under 30% when the diagnosis takes place in stage four of the cancer’s development.

If your skin cancer has spread or become more severe as a result of you not receiving the right diagnosis, you could have grounds to make a claim.

When can you make a skin cancer claim?

Medical professionals have a duty of care towards you. This means that they should be providing a level of treatment that puts your needs and concerns first.

If you go to a doctor with a mole or lump that you’re worried about, you should receive a skin examination and possibly a referral to a specialist if the doctor suspects you could have skin cancer. But this isn’t always the case in reality.

Skin cancer can go undiagnosed for a number of reasons, including:

• Failure to order biopsies – a minor surgical procedure which involves removing all or part of the suspected tumour
• Failure to refer you for further tests
• Incorrect interpretation of test results
• Losing test results

Any mistakes made at the point of diagnosis or referral could lead to significant delays which may result in your condition worsening. If this has happened to you, we can help.

How can First4Lawyers support me?

We work with expert medical negligence solicitors who are experienced in skin cancer misdiagnosis claims. They will build evidence to support your case and work to secure you the best outcome possible.

We know that the thought of starting a claim can feel daunting. But your solicitor will be at your side throughout the process, ready to answer any questions you may have. So you won’t be going through it alone.

For these types of claims, we offer a No Win No Fee service. This means that there will be no upfront costs and you’ll have nothing to pay if your claim is unsuccessful.

Melanoma and Skin Cancer Claims FAQs

How much compensation will I receive?

Being diagnosed with any type of cancer is a frightening experience. And it can be made even worse if you were initially misdiagnosed.

You could be entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve been through, as well as any financial losses associated with the negligence you experienced. These are known as general and special damages:

• General damages
  General damages compensate you for the physical and emotional impact of your misdiagnosis. You can visit our free compensation calculator to see how much you could receive in general damages.
• Special damages 
  Special damages cover financial losses related to your misdiagnosis such as reduced earnings if you’ve had to take time off work, or the cost of further medical treatment.

Most compensation settlements will be split into these two parts. But it is impossible to say exactly how much your claim could be worth in total without speaking to you first.

Your solicitor will need to gather further detail on the negligence that took place and the effect that it has had on your life before valuing your claim.

Is there a time limit for making a skin cancer claim?

If you’ve suffered a misdiagnosis of melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer, you’ll usually have three years to make a claim. This could be three years from the date that your initial misdiagnosis took place, or from when you first became aware of it.

Sadly, there will be instances where loved ones are looking to make a claim on behalf of someone who has passed away due to a misdiagnosis. If you find yourself in this situation, you will usually have three years from the date of the person’s death to start a claim.

We would always recommend seeking legal advice as early as you’re able to. This will give you the reassurance that all the relevant deadlines will be met. It could also help to strengthen your claim as the evidence surrounding the misdiagnosis will still be relatively recent.

I think I have a claim – what should I do next?

We understand that making a claim may not be the first thing on your mind when coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis. But you could be entitled to support and compensation for the negligence you’ve experienced.

If you think you might have a claim, get in touch with our friendly claims team. They’ll speak to you about what happened and let you know if you have a strong case. If you do, you’ll be given the option of speaking to one of our experienced solicitors.

It will be completely up to you to decide if you’d like to go forward with a claim after speaking to us. We’ll never pressure you one way or the other, but we will do our best to provide you with the detail you need to make an informed choice.

To find out more, call us on the number at the top of the screen or request a callback at a more convenient time. You can also reach us online by filling in our quick and easy claims form.