According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women worldwide. However research conducted by Cancer Research UK indicated that 99.8% of these cases are preventable through Effective primary (HPV vaccination) and secondary prevention approaches (screening for, and treating precancerous lesions).
Unfortunately, mistakes are made when diagnosing or treating cervical cancer with potentially devastating consequences. If you experienced negligent medical care associated with cervical cancer you could be entitled to claim compensation.
Devonshires Claims’ experienced cancer misdiagnosis solicitors support victims of medical negligence to make a cervical cancer misdiagnosis claim on a No Win No Fee basis. We can also support you if a loved one has died due to delays or negligence in their cervical cancer diagnosis or treatment.
Reasons to Bring a Cervical Cancer Misdiagnosis Claim
If your GP, gynaecologist, radiologist or other healthcare provider made mistakes you may be entitled to compensation for the following:
- Failure of a GP or gynaecologist to recognise the potential symptoms of cervical cancer
- Misdiagnosing cervical cancer i.e. diagnosing it as another condition e.g. menopause or heavy periods.
- Failure to gather an accurate history or to carry out an examination
- Failure to ask a patient to return for further tests if their symptoms persist or worsen
- Failure of a GP to refer a patient for tests or cervical cancer screening
- Mistakes made when carrying out a biopsy, or CT / MRI scan
- Delaying the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer
- Failure to arrange follow-ups for any abnormalities found in the smear test.
- Mistakes made in interpreting smear test results
- Incorrect or unnecessary treatment of the cervical cancer e.g. an unnecessary hysterectomy
- Mistakes made in the treatment of cervical cancer – these include:
- mistakes made during a hysterectomy e.g. cut ureter or bladder
- mistakes made during radiation e.g. damage to neighbouring organs or the failure to preserve eggs
- mistakes made during chemotherapy
The compensation payout could provide for:
- Specialist private surgery or treatment to recover from cervical cancer and the consequences of the cancer
- Necessary care and assistance
- Rehabilitation or home adaptations
- Loss of earnings
- Expenses (e.g. travel costs)
If your GP, consultant, radiologist or other health care provider failed to diagnose your cervical cancer, you could be entitled to make a medical negligence compensation claim. For more information or to start your free case evaluation, contact our ‘No Win No Fee’ cervical cancer claims experts today on 0333 900 8787, email admin@devonshiresclaims.co.uk or complete our online contact form.
Cervical Cancer FAQs
The symptoms of cervical cancer can resemble those affecting less severe conditions such as:
- Fibroids
- Heavy periods
- Menopause
The NHS advises that women aged 25 to 64 get annually screened for cervical cancer. The screening and tests are to ensure that there is early detection of the cancerous cells.
Some of the potential symptoms of cervical cancer include:
- Unusual vaginal discharge (with or without blood)
- Pelvic or low back pain
- Pain during urination
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding i.e. vaginal bleeding between periods, after sex, or after the menopause.
- Longer and heavier menstrual bleeding
- Increased urination
- Blood in urine or stool
The diagnostic and treatment approach
Cervical screening (a smear test) checks the health of the cervix i.e. it’s a test to prevent cancer and not to diagnose it.
During the screening, a small sample of cells will be taken from the cervix and this sample is checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix.
If these types of HPV are not found, no further tests are required.
If these types of HPV are found, the sample is then checked for any changes in the cells of the cervix. These can then be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
A patient will receive their results by letter, usually in about 2 weeks.
If a patient has had an abnormal cervical screening test result, or any symptoms of cervical cancer, they will usually be referred for a colposcopy an examination to look for abnormalities in the cervix.
As well as examining the cervix, a biopsy may be carried out so the sample can be checked for cancerous cells.
The patient may be referred to a gynaecologist for further tests.
What if you have abnormal results?
If the results of the colposcopy or biopsy suggest a patient may have cervical cancer more tests may be required to determine the risks of the cancer spreading or whether the cancer has spread. These tests include:
- a pelvic examination done under general anaesthetic– the womb, vagina, rectum and bladder will be checked for cancer
- blood tests – to help assess the state of the liver, kidneys and bone marrow
- a CT scan – used to help identify cancerous tumours and show whether cancerous cells have spread
- an MRI scan – also used to check whether the cancer has spread
- a chest X-ray – to check if the cancer has spread to the lungs
- a PET scan – often combined with a CT scan to see if the cancer has spread, or to check how well a person is responding to treatment
(Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/)
Early diagnosis of cervical cancer increases the chances of recovery. To claim negligence, one would need to prove that the delay in diagnosing the cervical cancer adversely affected your health outcome.
Compensation claims may be successful if it can be proven that your gynaecologist or GP’s diagnosis (or misdiagnosis) fell below the standard that is expected of a practitioner with a similar level of knowledge and skill in the field, and resulted in damage to you or a loved one.
To make a compensation claim for cervical cancer misdiagnosis, speak to one of our medical negligence compensation solicitors today. Our team will assess whether the duty of care owed to you was breached, and whether breaching this duty of care caused your injuries. If so, are likely to have a strong case for compensation.
To make a compensation claim for the misdiagnosis or the late diagnosis of cervical cancer, speak to one of our cancer misdiagnosis solicitors today. They will take the time to listen to the details of your case in an empathetic and caring manner and advise if you have grounds for a claim. Our team will assess whether the duty of care owed to you was breached, and whether breaching this duty of care caused your injuries. If so, are likely to have a strong case for compensation.
Your solicitor will take strain off you and handle your case for you, including collating the necessary evidence (including medical records and correspondence) and will write to the organisation responsible for your care, stating the grounds for your claim. Our team are best placed to be able to understand the response and move your claim forward to a satisfactory resolution.
Yes; the ‘limitation’ period to bring a claim for medical negligence is generally three years from the date of negligence or the date of reasonable knowledge of the injury. This means that if you became aware of the failure to diagnose cancer weeks, months, or even years later, the three-year period could commence from then. In rare circumstances, the Court may use its discretion to extend the limitation period, but only for exceptional reasons, so it is important to contact us as soon as possible.
Yes; Devonshires Claims can provide:
‘No Win No Fee’ claims service for cancer misdiagnosis injury compensation claims.
‘No Win No Fee’ arrangement is also known as a ‘Conditional Fee Agreement’. Under a No Win No Fee agreement, you will not be charged any costs if your case is not successful*.
If you win your case there will be some deductions from your damages**.
Medical negligence injury claims are rarely completed quickly. The timescale for a cancer misdiagnosis injury claim will depend on individual circumstances of your case; however, most cases commonly take at least 2 – 3 years to fully conclude. However, we are often able to secure interim payments to help you with your treatment or day-to-day expenses. Factors which will affect how long your claim takes may include:
- how severely you were injured
- the prognosis
- whether ongoing care is required
- how much rehabilitation is needed
- whether you require costs to cover home modifications
- Whether the defendant admits liability (if they do, claims can usually be concluded much faster).
Compensation claims for cervical cancer misdiagnosis not only reflect the physical and mental pain and suffering experienced but also:
- Allow you to obtain justice for the mistreatment and negligence you experienced
- Highlight failings in clinical practice, standards of care and protocols
- Provide you and your family with an explanation of the incident and an apology if shortcomings are acknowledged
The compensation payment will depend on several factors:
- Your pain and suffering
- Your prognosis
- The impact of the delay and / or negligence on your health and quality of life – including current and future care requirements, medical aids, home adaptations or other necessary assistance
- Any financial losses you have incurred as a result of the injuries – including past loss of earnings, medical expenses, travel expenses and equipment costs
- Any future financial losses, e.g. loss of wages, loss of promotion prospects, pension
Compensation for cancer claims injury fall into two main categories:
- General compensation (General Damages): this includes compensation for pain and suffering and the impact of the injury on lifestyle and quality of life.
- Financial losses and expenses (Special Damages): these include the costs associated with private treatment, care support, travel expenses, other medical expenses, specialist equipment and loss of income.
Cervical Cancer UK revealed some interesting statistics from the UK:
- 3152 New cases of cervical cancer, 2015-2017, UK.
- Less than 1% Percentage cervical cancer is of total cancer cases, 2015-2017, UK
- Peak rate of cervical cancer cases, 2015-2017, UK 30-34
- The main risk factor for cervical cancer is an infection called the human papilloma virus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of this virus. Some types of HPV can affect the cervix and cause abnormal cell changes that may develop into cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer rates in 2018, Worldwide
| Rank | Country | Age-standardised rate per 100,000 |
| 1 | Swaziland | 75.3 |
| 2 | Malawi | 72.9 |
| 3 | Zambia | 66.4 |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 62.3 |
| 5 | Tanzania | 59.1 |
| 6 | Burundi | 57.4 |
| 7 | Uganda | 54.8 |
| 8 | Lesotho | 52.1 |
| 9 | Madagascar | 51.6 |
| 10 | Comoros | 50.9 |
| 11 | Guinea | 45.5 |
| 12 | Burkina Faso | 45.1 |
| 13 | Mali | 43.9 |
| 14 | South Africa | 43.5 |
| 15 | Mozambique | 42.8 |
| 16 | Bolivia | 38.5 |
| 17 | Senegal | 37.8 |
| 18 | Liberia | 37.2 |
| 19 | Angola | 36.1 |
| 20 | Kenya | 33.8 |
The data quoted on these webpages come from the Global Cancer Observatory, owned by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and are used with permission. The incidence statistics for 2018 are projections calculated from cancer registry data collected before 2018. Find full information on the methods used by IARC is available.
Source: Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global Cancer Statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin, in press. The online GLOBOCAN 2018 database is accessible at http://gco.iarc.fr/, as part of IARC’s Global Cancer Observatory.
https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/cervical-cancer-statistics/
Contact our cancer misdiagnosis experts today
The late diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer can lead to a reduced life expectancy, loss of fertility and poor health outcomes. At Devonshires Claims, our experienced cancer misdiagnosis solicitors have represented women who being harmed by the mistakes made by medical professionals. We have also supported the families of women who passed away from cervical cancer, helping them seek justice and compensation for the death of their loved one.
If you have suffered as a result of your cervical cancer diagnosis being delayed, missed, or incorrect, our cancer misdiagnosis solicitors will guide you through the process of securing medical negligence compensation, help you get the treatment you need and maybe even assist with interim expenses.
Our cancer misdiagnosis claims service provides:
- A free no-obligation case evaluation
- Advice on the probability of success for a cervical cancer negligence claim and the amount of compensation you could potentially obtain
- Friendly, compassionate and experienced claims experts
- A No Win No Fee agreement i.e. you will not incur any costs if your claim is not successful*.
- Access to a network of medical experts and specialist barristers
Our experts work hard to secure victims of medical negligence the justice and compensation they deserve.
For more information on Devonshires Claims ‘No Win No Fee’ cervical cancer misdiagnosis claims service or to start your free case evaluation, contact us today on 0333 900 8787, email admin@devonshiresclaims.co.uk or complete our online form.
Client Stories
Young Mum Given Unnecessary Total Hysterectomy: Awarded Six Figure Compensation
Summary
Legal action following a young mother being given an unnecessary total hysterectomy and not being told until some time after.
Settlement
A 6 figure payment for a young mum who was given an unnecessary total hysterectomy.
Compensation For Poor Surgical Care During Surgery to Remove Tumour in Salivary Glands
Summary
A clinical negligence claim brought by the Claimant for damages following substandard surgical care during a surgery to remove a tumour called a pleomorphic adenoma in 1994. The Claimant claimed for the failure to advise of the risks of surgery, allowing her to make an informed decision. Secondly, she claimed for the failure by the Defendant to perform an open surgery which would have allowed for complete removal of the tumour.
Settlement
The claim settled at mediation for £425,000.
