Bile duct cancer is a rare cancer in the US, with only around 8,000 diagnosed cases found annually. It can be tough to find this cancer early because the bile duct is located deep in the body, and tumors only start causing symptoms once they have grown large. Bile duct cancer can cause symptoms such as the following:
However, there are tests available that could help monitor your condition to spot bile duct cancer early if you are at high risk for this disease. Specifically, if you have preexisting conditions like primary sclerosis cholangitis, hepatitis, or choledochal cyst disease.
The prognosis for bile duct cancer is grim. The American Cancer Society uses the SEER database to estimate 5-year relative survival rates for most cancers, staging them as either localized, regional, or distant. Even at the localized stage, bile duct cancer only has a 23% survival rate. This drops to 9% at the regional stage when bile duct cancer spreads to nearby lymph nodes and structures, and 3% at the distant stage when it invades other organs.
Bile duct cancer can be treated with the following:
Blood tests, imaging tests, and biopsies are also used for diagnosis.
The doctor must be thorough when administering these tests and interpreting results. Mistakes or negligence can spell the difference between a 23% or a 3-9% chance of survival. While it can be difficult to spot this cancer early, failing to order the appropriate tests, or misinterpreting the results can have devastating effects. Instead of being caught early when treatment can still work, cancerous tumors can grow and spread for months or even years.
If you believe that you or a loved one have been misdiagnosed or diagnosed late with bile duct cancer due to your doctor’s negligence in the State of New York, and this has caused you more pain, suffering, and medical expenses, call the Porter Law Group. Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers and board-certified medical experts can evaluate your case for free. We can get you the answers you and your family deserve.
Not all cases of misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis are considered medical malpractice. In cases like bile duct cancer, where no established screening protocols for early detection are available, claims of medical negligence need to be convincingly proved before you can be financially compensated.
For a successful medical negligence lawsuit, you need to establish that there was a doctor-patient relationship, that the doctor deviated from the expected standard of care for patients with similar conditions. And that this deviation was the proximate cause of harm.
Medical negligence cases are complex, more so in New York, where you need to navigate documentary and filing requirements and be aware of the statute of limitations for filing your claim. But you don’t have to do this alone, the Porter Law Group is at your Service. The medical malpractice lawyers at Porter Law Group have secured millions of dollars* for patients whose cancer was misdiagnosed, or diagnosed late in the State of New York.
Our board-certified medical experts can evaluate your case to see if your doctor deviated from the expected standard of care, and if this has caused you harm. And our experienced trial lawyers stand ready to investigate and file your claim. We can recover financial compensation for you and your family if you were a victim of medical malpractice in the State of New York.
Contact us at 833-PORTER9, or e-mail us at info@porterlawteam.com to discuss the details of our experience representing other clients and the results we were able to obtain in the past for clients who also suffered from cancer. In many ways, our results speak for themselves, and we will stand ready to help you and your family in your time of greatest need.
Settlement – Prostate Cancer
44-year-old man diagnosed with incurable Stage IV prostate cancer due to physician's failure to order appropriate screening tests.
Confidential Settlement Reached Prior to Trial
Confidential Settlement Reached Prior to Trial
Confidential Settlement Reached Prior to Trial
