What is a breast cancer compensation claim?

Every patient has the right to receive a good standard of care no matter their illness. For breast cancer patients, a timely diagnosis and the correct course of treatment can improve the outcome considerably;  98% of women survive stage 1 breast cancer versus 25% of women with stage 4 cancer. If, for any reason or during any part of your cancer journey, your cancer was misdiagnosed or treatment delayed, this may be a case of medical negligence and you could make a breast cancer compensation claim. 

The most common types of breast cancer claims include: 

• Breast cancer misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis 
• Incorrect staging of cancer 
• Surgical negligence 
• Failure to conduct adequate testing or refer a patient to a specialist
• Not enough of the cancerous tissue being removed, meaning that the cancer returns later
• Unnecessary cosmetic damage to the breasts or breast reconstruction surgery being carried out

If you or a loved one has been affected by negligent treatment of breast cancer, please contact our medical negligence experts who can advise and guide you towards claiming compensation for the damage caused. 

Breast cancer screening claims

Breast screenings are offered between the ages of 50 and 71. Those who are eligible will receive an invitation via post every three years. However, if you were born between 1938 and 1950 you may not be on the current system, you can contact the NHS here to see about your appointment status.

If you believe that you should have received a screening invitation but didn’t, and this led to the worsening of your condition, we are here to help. It is possible that an administrative error led to the delay in your diagnosis which could delay treatment and even increase the risk of the cancer returning in the future. 

Breast cancer misdiagnosis

The most commonly known sign of breast cancer is a lump in the breast. However, there are many other signs and symptoms that should be investigated by your GP or consultant to rule out or diagnose breast cancer. These symptoms can be misdiagnosed as other illnesses. Often lumps can be misdiagnosed as benign cysts or fluctuating hormone levels. We have also seen cases where women were below the typical age for breast cancer and so symptoms were not taken seriously enough. Rashes or changes in skin texture have been diagnosed as skin conditions like eczema, and we have helped women who have been misdiagnosed with mastitis or fibrocystic breast disease which turned out to be cancer.

Your concerns should always be taken seriously. In the UK, breast cancer patients should receive their diagnosis through ‘a triple test’ investigation.

This includes:

• A clinical examination of a lump in the breast
• The above-mentioned mammogram procedure
• A biopsy where a pathologist reviews the potentially cancerous cells under a microscope

If cancer is present it should, ideally, be found early enough to improve the probability of recovery. However, if this diagnosis was performed inadequately or the results were interpreted incorrectly, it is possible that your breast cancer could be misdiagnosed. If you have experienced a misdiagnosis, your cancer may have progressed to a more aggressive and advanced stage, and you could be entitled to compensation. 

How do I know if I can claim?

When you contact us we will ask you about your cancer diagnosis and the details of what happened. From there, we can tell you if you are able to make a claim. We have helped people throughout the UK claim breast cancer compensation for any of the following reasons:

• Symptoms mistaken for other illnesses such as cysts 
• Failure to refer for tests or delays in testing
• Failure to perform a biopsy
• Results or scans being read incorrectly
• Errors in routine mammograms
• Delays in starting treatment or the wrong treatment being administered

Even if cancer is detected, staging errors can occur, resulting in the wrong course of treatment. Secondary breast cancer can even show up in other areas of the body and not the breast at all, which leads to serious delays in a diagnosis. We rely on healthcare professionals to get our diagnosis and care right so that we can get better. Which is why, when this doesn’t happen, you are entitled to compensation.

What can I expect?

If you are making a claim for breast cancer compensation then you can expect that, after an investigation, you will be awarded an amount based on the impact the medical negligence or misdiagnosis has had on your life. When working on your claim we take into account the severity of the medical negligence and the cost of rebuilding your life. This usually includes:

• The cost of additional private treatment, where necessary
• The opportunity to receive rehabilitation services and products
• Repayment any loss of earnings while you have been unable to work
• Any financial burden on your friends and family who have had to care for you 
• The cost of travel to and from appointments
• Pain, suffering and the emotional distress suffered throughout your breast cancer misdiagnosis

We are passionate about getting you an explanation and apology for what happened to you and securing the right compensation to lead you on the road to both physical and emotional recovery.

Wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer

There are some instances where patients have been diagnosed with breast cancer only to find out later that they did not have the disease at all. This can lead to unnecessary mastectomies or invasive chemotherapy treatment that was not needed. In these cases test results have been misread or a biopsy has been misreported. The emotional turmoil that this causes can have a huge impact on an individual and their family, not to mention the physical effects.

Just as we are here to help with a cancer misdiagnosis or errors in treatment, we can also help with any caim where breast cancer was wrongly diagnosed. 

Why Choose Us

Patient Claim Line has been helping people just like you since 2014. We only handle medical negligence cases; nothing else. Which means our solicitors are experts in their field and understand medical negligence and misdiagnosis inside and out.

We offer a completely free initial consultation, where we tell you if you have a claim and then work with you to establish exactly what happened and where you are currently in your breast cancer diagnosis and care plan. Our sole aim is to get you as much compensation as possible so you can try to heal the physical and emotional wounds caused by medical negligence. With over 100 solicitors based throughout the UK, we have someone near you who can help get you started with your claim and guide you through the whole process. 

No Win No Fee Breast Cancer Claims

As part of our No Win No Fee agreement, you will not have to pay anything up front if we take your case. You will only pay if we win. If we do not win your case, you are completely protected and do not have to pay us anything. We understand that breast cancer can take its toll on you and your family, and want to do everything we can to ensure that making a claim is as stress free and simple as possible for you. 

A successful claim can result in a settlement, as well as the opportunity for the trust or healthcare professional to apologise. Compensation can also mean:

• Financial compensation that can help you get back to life before your suffering.
• Covering the cost of additional private treatment, where necessary
• The opportunity to receive rehabilitation services and products
• Assist with any loss of earnings while you have been unable to work

If you have been affected as a result of negligence relating to your breast cancer treatment at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust, our expert team is here to help.