Pittsburgh Lawyers Representing Victims of Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis
As most people know, breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women in the United States. One in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point during their lifetime. It is one of the most talked about illnesses in the world and yet doctors continue to "miss" this diagnosis all too frequently. That is unfortunate because while breast cancer can certainly be a deadly disease, it can often be successfully treated.
I'm attorney John Gismondi, founder of Gismondi & Associates. We are lawyers who represent families in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania who have suffered losses because a medical provider's failure to diagnose and treat breast cancer. A powerful lawsuit can provide full and complete compensation for you, and it can also send a strong message that will help to prevent some other person from being injured by a similar mistake or accident.
Should My Breast Cancer Have Been Detected?
Primary care physicians and obstetricians need constantly to be on the lookout for breast cancer, particularly in women who have risk factors such as age over 40, the use of hormone replacement therapy, a high-fat diet and use of tobacco or exposure to radiation. Also, family history is quite important. In addition to advising women to do regular breast exams, the physician seeing a woman for an office visit needs to regularly touch and feel (the medical term is "palpate") the breasts for abnormal lumps. Also, it is critical that all women over the age of 40 have regular mammograms.
It is not enough to take the mammogram, however. The physician who reads the test (usually a radiologist) must do so with a sharp eye. Too often we see cases in which a suspicious growth (usually something that is calcified or has spiked edges) shows up on a mammogram, but is not spotted by the doctor. If there is anything even a little suspicious on a mammogram, more sophisticated pictures can be taken with ultrasound or specialized mammogram views known as "spot compression" films. If necessary, a surgeon can do a biopsy and have part of the lump inspected under a microscope.
With regular breast exams and mammograms, and assuming the radiologist does their job in reading the mammogram, breast cancer for most women should be detected at a time when treatment will be successful. That treatment usually consists of a surgery; either the removal of a lump (a "lumpectomy") or the entire breast (a "mastectomy") and some combination of radiation or chemotherapy.
Click Here to See How We Handle Your Breast Cancer Case
A Lawsuit Provides Compensation ...... and More
We wish that we could turn back the hands of time and undo what has happened to your or your family. Unfortunately, no lawyer has that power. However, with a successful lawsuit we can reduce the burdens you face by obtaining full and complete compensation for everything that you have experienced as a result of your injury or the death of a family member ...... mounting medical bills, lost wages, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and perhaps most importantly, the loss of the relationship and companionship of a loved one.
We will also fight for compensation to cover everything that you may face in the future. Breast cancer cases often involve long term needs for things such as future surgeries, specialized equipment, personal attendant care, and much more. Our goal is to provide full compensation for all of those needs so that you or your loved one can enjoy the very best quality of life possible and make the most of a difficult situation. After all, that is the least that you are entitled to.
Aside from providing you with full and complete compensation, a lawsuit can do one other very important thing: it can force changes to be made by the doctor or hospital who caused the injury to you or a loved so that no other person or family has to go through what you have.
Our Experience With Breast Cancer Cases
For the past 25 years, Gismondi & Associates have successfully handled a variety of breast cancer cases, including:
- A large six figure award on behalf of a woman from Beaver County whose breast cancer was "missed" on mammogram.
- A large six figure award on behalf of a woman from Uniontown, Fayette County, who had a lump in her breast and her doctor refused to biopsy for over a year.
- A substantial six figure award on behalf of a woman from Johnstown, Cambria County whose cancerous tumor a radiologist did not see on mammogram films taken during a stereotactic biopsy.
While all of these women survived, the delay in diagnosing their breast cancer could ultimately impact their life expectancy.
Call Us Now! ...... Free Consultation
If you or a loved one has suffered a loss due to misdiagnosis of breast cancer, call us now for a free consultation toll free at 866-757-6585. And remember, we always return phone calls. Our law office is in Pittsburgh and our attorneys handle medical malpractice cases throughout Pennsylvania.
Find answers to frequently asked questions about our legal services.
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