Awareness campaigns for breast and lung cancer are quite visible, both on TV and in print media. In comparison, kidney cancer is not addressed in as “high profile” a manner. However, kidney cancer does affect up to 70,000 Americans and their families each year. Like breast, lung and many other cancers, kidney cancer can prove fatal if it is not detected and treated in a timely manner. According to the Director of the Comprehensive Kidney Cancer Program at the Mount Sinai Health System, the cure rate for kidney cancer is at least 90 percent when there is early detection and treatment.
In a recent interview, the Director at Mount Sinai stated that there are two main types of kidney masses — solid growths and cysts. The majority of cysts are not cancerous, but approximately 85 percent of solid growths are cancerous. Therefore, it is important to timely perform further testing if a kidney mass is detected; to determine if it is solid or may have solid components.
Since kidney cancer is treatable when detected in a timely manner, it is important for doctors to look for and recognize the early signs and symptoms of kidney masses. If a patient or healthcare provider can feel a lump in the kidney area or has blood in his or her urine, immediate testing should be ordered to determine if a mass exists. If there is a mass or some other suspicious or unusual lesion, it must be timely determined what the nature of that mass is, and whether a biopsy of the mass is required to rule out cancer. Swift action is required to ensure that a patient has the best care, treatment and prognosis or chance of survival.
Failure to accurately and timely detect, diagnose, and treat any type of cancer may constitute medical malpractice that can have profound consequences for patients. If you believe you have suffered as a result of cancer misdiagnosis, it is important that you contact a New Jersey law firm which has significant experience handling medical malpractice cases relating to cancer misdiagnosis. A knowledgeable medical malpractice lawyer at Blume Forte can help you to protect your rights and assist you in pursuing compensation for significant losses.