Liver Cancer Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims

This guide will explain how to claim compensation for liver cancer misdiagnosis. If doctors misdiagnose liver cancer, this can delay the patient’s treatment, causing unnecessary harm.

liver cancer misdiagnosis

Liver cancer misdiagnosis claims guide

You may be able to claim for the wrongful diagnosis of liver cancer if:

  • Your doctor acted negligently, leading to the misdiagnosis of liver cancer.
  • The cancer misdiagnosis harmed you. For example, your cancer may have worsened unnecessarily, meaning you had to have chemotherapy instead of surgery.

Please get in touch with us today to see if you are eligible to claim misdiagnosis negligence compensation. We can offer you free legal advice about the process of claiming compensation.

If we can see that you are eligible for compensation, our panel of solicitors may be able to handle your claim. Please use the details below to reach us:

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What Is Liver Cancer?

The liver is the largest internal organ. The liver digests food and removes toxins from the body. Liver cancer is cancer that is found anywhere in the liver.

There are two broad categories of liver cancer. Primary liver cancer starts in the liver. On the other hand, secondary liver cancer is cancer that has spread from another organ.

How serious liver cancer is, depends on many factors, including:

  • How big the cancer is
  • Where the cancer is in the liver
  • Whether or not cancer has spread to other organs

Cancer is a disease that can get worse over time. Furthermore, the progression of the disease might affect how it is treated. Some cancers may be able to be treated with surgery or chemotherapy alone, whereas if the disease progresses, then a combination of these treatments might be required. In some cases, medical negligence might lead to wrongful death.

What Are The Symptoms Of Liver Cancer?

Below, we have included the symptoms of liver cancer:

  • Jaundice where your skin and the whites of your eyes to turn yellow.
  • Flu-like symptoms.
  • Fatigue or lack of energy.
  • A hard lump on the right-hand side of your abdomen.

In addition, you may experience the following liver cancer symptoms, which can affect your digestion:

  • Feeling sick or vomiting
  • Pain in your right shoulder or the top right side of your abdomen
  • Indigestion
  • Swelling in your abdomen

Rates Of Liver Cancer In The UK

These Cancer Research UK statistics can help us understand how common liver cancer is in the UK:

  • On average, there were 6,214 new cases of liver cancer a year between 2016 and 2018.
  • There were 5,635 deaths from liver cancer between 2017 and 2019.
  • From 2013 to 2017, 13% of people with liver cancer survived the disease by five or more years in England.
  • In 2015 49% of liver cancer cases were preventable.

Can Doctors Misdiagnose Liver Cancer?

Unfortunately, liver cancer can be misdiagnosed. Some patients with liver cancer won’t show symptoms of the disease, making it difficult to diagnose. Moreover, the symptoms of liver cancer are similar to other medical conditions.

The liver cancer misdiagnosis could receive the wrong treatment, or it could delay the patient’s treatment. As a result, the disease could spread and become more aggressive and difficult to treat.

You could claim compensation for misdiagnosis if the doctor acted negligently in a way that caused you harm. Negligence is where a medical professional breaches the duty of care that they owe you.

A medical professional has a duty of care to provide the appropriate standard of care. You could experience GP negligence, hospital negligence or negligence in surgery, as a duty of care is owed in all areas of medicine.

Here are some examples of how liver cancer could be misdiagnosed:

  • Your GP fails to refer you to a specialist. As a result, your condition remains undiagnosed.
  • While you’re at the hospital, you’re told to go for diagnostic tests. However, these are performed incorrectly, meaning the results are wrong.
  • Your doctor misreads the notes on your file and gives you the wrong diagnosis as a result.

For more information on whether you could make a liver cancer misdiagnosis claim, speak with an advisor today.

What Time Limit Applies To Medical Negligence Claims?

Under the Limitation Act 1980, there is a time limit to starting a medical negligence claim. Generally, you must begin your claim within three years of the medical negligence incident. However, sometimes there are exceptions to this rule.

For example, if you were under the age of 18 when the negligence occurred, then the time limit is suspended while you’re underage. This is because you cannot represent yourself in a case; however,  a litigation friend can claim for you. This is an adult who can act on your behalf to pursue a claim. If a litigation friend does not make a claim for you, then the time limit for you to do this yourself starts when you turn 18.

For more information on the exceptions that apply to the claim time limits, speak with a member of our team today. If you have a valid liver cancer misdiagnosis claim, then you could be connected with a solicitor from our panel.

When Could You Claim For Liver Cancer Misdiagnosis?

To claim compensation for the misdiagnosis of liver cancer, you will need to show that a breach of duty of care on the part of a medical professional caused you unnecessary harm. Sometimes, your condition might be misdiagnosed even though the doctor was providing the right standard of care.

For example, you may not have any of the symptoms that are typically associated with liver cancer. As a result, your doctor cannot be expected to make a diagnosis based on the information that they have.

Furthermore, not all instances of harm experienced in the course of medical care would be grounds for a claim. Sometimes, a medical professional needs to cause you to harm in order to treat you. For example, chemotherapy is a kind of treatment that can make you unwell but may be necessary for the course of the treatment.

Please contact us today to inquire about claiming compensation for a liver cancer misdiagnosis caused by negligence.

What Is The Average Compensation For A Liver Cancer Misdiagnosis?

You may be wondering how much your claim could be worth. There are two heads of claim that you could be awarded. Firstly, you can receive general damages to compensate for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity your injuries caused. Secondly, you can receive special damages to pay back the necessary expenses associated with your injuries.

You may be wondering what the average settlement for cancer misdiagnosis is. However, an average settlement might not be useful to you, as many factors particular to your case might influence the amount you receive.

You can use the table below to help you see how much general damages compensation you can claim. We have not included special damages in the table.

Type Of InjuryAbout The InjuryEstimated Damages
LungsCausing serious disability in a young person that will probably progress to premature death £100,670 to £135,920
LungsIn an older person, causing pain and impairing function and quality of life £70,030 to £97,330
LungsDisease that causes worsening lung function and impaired breathing. £54,830 to £70,030
Spleen The loss of the spleen where there is also continued risk of an infection and other disorders.£20,800 to £26,290
SpleenThe risks highlighted above are either minimal or not present.£4,350 to £8,640
ScarringThe injury could comprise either a single disfiguring scar or several smaller ones.£7,830 to £22,730
ScarringSeveral scar injuries which could be superficial. Alternatively, there may be a single scar and some cosmetic deficit.£2,370 to £7,830
ScarringScar caused by exploratory laparotomy. In the region of £8,640
Psychiatric Injury - ModerateThis person should have made a marked improvement in any psychiatric injuries. There will be a good prognosis£5,860 to £19,070
Psychiatric Injury - Less SevereThe compensation will look at factors such as how long the symptoms lasted for and the extent to which quality of life was affected. £1,540 to £5,860

We used guidelines from the Judicial College to create the table’s contents. Legal professionals use these guidelines order to assist them in valuing your claim.

Special damages can include costs like:

  • Travel costs to and from medical appointments
  • The cost of care
  • The cost of medical treatment that you can’t get for free

You will need to provide evidence of this in order to claim. For instance, you could provide invoices that demonstrate how much you spent on care.

For more information on what a liver cancer misdiagnosis claim could include, speak with our team today.

Can You Make A No Win No Fee Claim For Liver Cancer Misdiagnosis?

If liver cancer misdiagnosis caused by medical negligence has caused you unnecessary harm, you may be eligible to claim compensation. Our panel of solicitors can handle your claim on a No Win No Fee basis, which is an arrangement used to fund legal representation. A Conditional Fee Agreement is a popular form of this kind of agreement.

How Does A No Win No Fee Claim Work?

With a No Win No Fee agreement in place, you won’t pay a solicitors fee in advance or as the claim progresses. If you are awarded compensation, you will pay a success fee, which will be deducted from your compensation before it reaches you. If your claim is not a success, you don’t pay this fee and your lawyer doesn’t get any payment for their services.

To see if you can claim compensation for the misdiagnosis of cancer, please contact us today:

  • Call our clinical negligence claims helpline on 0800 652 3087
  • Contact us about claiming online
  • Ask us a question using the support widget on your screen

Further Help For Those Affected By NHS Negligence

Please read these guides to learn more about making a medical negligence claim.

The importance of getting an early diagnosis of cancer

NHS guidance on radiotherapy 

Information on liver cancer from the British Liver Trust

Other Misdiagnosis Claims

If you have any more questions about claiming for liver cancer misdiagnosis, speak with our team today.