Delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer

Our client's father and grandfather had both suffered prostate cancer. As he was concerned at his own risk of the disease, he asked his GP to arrange tests, which the GP agreed.

The test result was reported to the GP as high, suggesting that there was a significant risk he had prostate cancer and needed to be referred for treatment. The test results were not acted on, even though our client telephoned the surgery to enquire about the outcome.

Our client attended three different GPs at the practice on numerous occasions over the next 11 months, none of whom identified and acted on the test result. Finally, the oversight was spotted and a further test arranged, by which time the test result had nearly doubled. Our client was finally referred for treatment, which thankfully appears to date to have been successful. Nevertheless, when he was finally told of the oversight, he was very concerned that the cancer would have spread in the meantime, possibly fatally. It was only with expert evidence which we obtained that he could be reassured that the delay has probably not affected his prognosis. We are seeking compensation for the very significant stress this has caused.

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