Can You Claim For Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis?

Last updated 13th December 2024. This guide will explore whether you could make a pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis medical negligence claim. The NHS explains that cancer develops over time and can spread to other areas of the body. If misdiagnosed, the condition could worsen.

Medical negligence occurs when a medical professional fails to provide a patient with the correct standard of care and causes them to suffer avoidable harm. When this happens, medical professionals breach their duty of care to their patients. In that case, you may be eligible to make a compensation claim.

Continue reading to learn more. You can also get in touch with our team at Accident Claims UK for information and support today. Our advisors can offer you free advice regarding your case. If they believe you can bring a medical misdiagnosis claim, they could put you in contact with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors.

To get in touch with our team:

A doctor is upset after realising he has made a pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis

Select A Section

  1. A Guide To Claims For Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis
  2. How Is Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosed?
  3. What Could Cause Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis?
  4. Steps You Could Take After A Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis
  5. Estimated Payouts For Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis
  6. Can I Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Make A Medical Negligence Claim?

A Guide To Claims For Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis

The pancreas is an organ that helps you to digest food and create insulin. The symptoms of pancreatic cancer include a high temperature, loss of appetite, having no energy, and the whites of your eyes or skin turning yellow.

A pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis can delay the time it takes for you to receive the required treatment. This could cause the cancer to develop or even spread to other organs, potentially leading to more invasive treatment and a worse prognosis.

This is why, if a medical professional treats your cancer, they have a duty of care to do so competently. Your practitioner must meet the minimum standard of care. In many cases, failing to meet this standard by misdiagnosing you breaches their duty.

You could be eligible to make a pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis claim if a failure of the kind described above harms you. This would be a medical negligence claim for your pain, suffering, and related financial losses.

If you would like to discuss this further, contact our team today using the details above. All calls are discreet, confidential, and free of obligation.

How Is Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosed?

The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer may require different tests. If you have symptoms of pancreatic cancer, a medical professional will be able to advise you of your best course of action. Tests for pancreatic cancer include:

Carrying out tests is crucial to diagnosing cancer and getting the treatment you require as soon as possible. In the next section, we will explain how a misdiagnosis could occur. To speak to an advisor about your claim, please use the contact details provided.

What Could Cause Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis

Doctors may mistake pancreatic cancer for other medical conditions. This could be caused by a medical professional breaching their duty of care. For example, if a doctor mixes up your test results with those of another patient, it could mean you receive a medical misdiagnosis, leading to you getting the wrong treatment and causing your condition to worsen. In this case, you may be eligible to bring forward a claim.

Below are further examples of how a pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis could occur due to a medical professional breaching their duty of care:

  • An overworked medical professional misreads test results that clearly show pancreatic cancer. The error is only noticed several weeks later, during which time the cancer spreads.
  • Your test results are inconclusive. Your doctor forgets to file their request for more tests, and you have to wait for weeks longer than necessary.

Please speak to our advisors to find out whether you could have valid grounds to make a medical negligence claim for pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis.

Steps You Could Take After A Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis

If you believe you have a valid claim for a pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis, there are several steps you might wish to take. One of the most important steps is gathering sufficient evidence to prove your claim. The types of evidence that may support your claim could include:

  • Your medical records showing any diagnosis or treatment you’ve had.
  • Results of medical tests such as blood work or scans.
  • Correspondence with the medical professionals caring for you.
  • Copies of any prescriptions.
  • Contact details of witnesses who could provide a statement.

If you contact our advisors, they can assess your claim and, if you are eligible, connect you to a member of our panel who can help you gather evidence. Using this evidence, they can then negotiate a compensation settlement for you. Use the details at the top of this guide to get in touch today to find out more.

What Is The Limitation Period?

Under the Limitation Act 1980, there is a three-year time limit to begin your medical negligence claim. This time limit begins from the date that medical negligence occurred or when any relevant symptoms were diagnosed.

There are some exceptions to these time limits. Please speak to our advisors to find out what time limits are applicable to your claim.

Estimated Payouts For Pancreatic Cancer Misdiagnosis

There are up to two potential heads of a successful pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis claim: general and special damages.

Firstly, general damages compensate you for the harm you have suffered due to a medical professional’s failures. Solicitors can use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them value general damages payments. We have used the JCG for the table of potential compensation amounts below.

InjurySeverityCompensationNotes
Multiple Forms Of Harm Plus Special DamagesVery SevereUp to £1,000,000 or moreNot a JCG figure.
Bowelsa)Up to £224,790Total loss of bowel and urinary function with other medical complications.
b)Up to £183,190Dependence on colostomy, with brackets varying with age.
Lungs(a)£122,850 to £165,860Probability of progression in young person leading to death.
(b)£85,460 to £118,790Impairment of function and quality of life.
(c)£66,890 to £85,460Significant impairment of lung function, sleep disturbance, and restriction of physical activity and employment.
Digestive System(i)£52,490 to £75,550Severe continuing pain and discomfort.
(ii)£20,490 to £33,880Long-standing or permanent complications, e.g. severe indigestion.
Spleena)£25,380 to £32,090Continuing risk of infection and immune disorders.
b)£5,310 to £10,550Minimal risk to immune system.

Please be aware that the compensation brackets are a guide.

Estimates Of Special Damages

In addition to a general damages payout, you could also receive an award under special damages. Special damages reimburse you for certain expenses caused by the avoidable harm you have suffered.

Examples of financial losses you could receive include the following:

To support your claim, it is important to provide evidence of monetary losses, such as invoices, travel tickets, payslips, and bank records. Please speak to a member of our team to get an estimation of the compensation you could be eligible to receive.

Can I Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Make A Medical Negligence Claim?

Suppose you discuss your case with one of our advisors, and they find that you could be eligible to make a medical negligence claim. In that case, they may put you in correspondence with one of our No Win No Fee clinical negligence solicitors. By entering into a form of No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you will generally benefit from the following:

  • No upfront payments for your solicitor’s services.
  • No ongoing payments for these services.
  • Should your claim be unsuccessful, you will not be asked to make any payments for the services your solicitor provides.
  • Should your claim be successful, a small percentage of the compensation can be deducted by your No Win No Fee solicitor. This success fee is capped by law.

To learn more, please speak to a member of our team. To do this, you can:

Related Claims For Misdiagnosed Cancers

You may find further guides from our website helpful in learning more about misdiagnosis claims:

Also, explore these external links for more information:

Thank you for reading our guide to making a medical negligence claim following a pancreatic cancer misdiagnosis.