Syracuse Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
“The failure to diagnose cancer is one of the most common types of New York medical malpractice lawsuits,” said Syracuse lawyer Michael A. Bottar, Esq., of Bottar Law, PLLC.
A new blood test developed by several Boston scientists will be brought to the market in the very near future through a partnership with Johnson & Johnson. Unlike currently available tests that can find tumor cells in blood, the new test dubbed a “liquid biopsy” will be able to capture whole cells that doctors can analyze. The new test can find one cancer cell in a billion or more healthy cells by using a microchip covered with 78,000 tiny posts that are coated with antibodies that bind with tumor cells when found. When blood cells are run over the hair-like posts, healthy cells “bounce off” and cancer cells “stick.”
“Metastatic disease and death due late diagnosis of cancer should decrease,” Bottar added. Historically, doctors administer a drug or therapy and have to wait months to perform imaging (e.g., a CT scan) to determine if the tumor has decreased in size. Many patients do not live long enough for oncologists to find a drug or therapy that works. The new test is promising because doctors will be able to determine, within a day or two, whether a particular cancer treatment is working.
The trial lawyers at Bottar Law, PLLC, have decades of experience investigating, prosecuting and trying to verdict all types of New York cancer misdiagnosis cases. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with advanced cancer, you and/or your family may be entitled to compensation for lifelong health care, special education, medical expenses, medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
To discuss your case or concerns with an experienced Central New York medical malpractice attorney, contact Bottar Law, PLLC now at (315) 422-3466, (800) 336-LAWS, or by e-mail at info@bottarleone.com.