Damages secured: delayed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
Our Geldards Medical Negligence team has secured £20,000 in damages for a client who suffered an 8 year delayed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
In 2006, our client was diagnosed with left kidney cancer and underwent surgery to completely remove the grade 3 carcinoma. Following the operation, he was placed under surveillance for renal cancer for 5 years. In 2010, he began experiencing occasional pain on the right side of the abdomen and underwent an investigatory CT scan in December 2010 at Leicester General Hospital. The scan raised no concerns, and our client was discharged from clinical follow-up in 2011.
In April 2019, our client presented to his GP with a 3-month history of left lumbar pain. Blood and urine tests were taken and reported as normal. However, given his history, the GP referred our client for a further CT scan which was undertaken in July 2019 and revealed a 6cm mass in the tail of the pancreas. A retrospective review noted an 11mm mass in the tail of the pancreas on the scan taken in December 2010, which had not been previously identified.
We served a Letter of Claim on University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust on the basis that clinicians at Leicester General Hospital had breached their duty of care in December 2010 by failing to diagnose our client’s 11mm tumour, resulting in an 8 year and 7 month delay in diagnosis and treatment.
Breach of duty was admitted but the hospital required proof of the extent of our client’s injury and losses.
Consequently, we instructed a Consultant Radiologist, Consultant Urologist, Consultant Oncologist and Consultant Hepatobiliary Surgeon to provide expert opinion the extent of our client’s injuries. Following receipt of this evidence, we negotiated settlement of our client’s claim for damages at £20,000 plus costs. The claim was funded by a no win, no fee arrangement supported by ATE insurance.
How can we help?
If you have been affected by a delayed cancer diagnosis and wish to speak to one of our medical negligence experts, please contact Linda Williams at linda.williams@geldards.co.uk