Breast cancer misdiagnosis

This Illinois medical malpractice lawsuit involves 55 year old Lisa Ann Stenberg. According to a news article in the Daily Herald, Stenberg felt a lump on her breast in 1999 and went to see Dr. Kathleen Pearson. Although a mammogram and biopsy came back negative, Stenberg suffered from lobular cancer – which generally can only be detected through an ultrasound. Her doctor failed to take that extra step and Stenberg thought she was cancer free. Years passed and Stenberg saw another doctor who did perform the ultrasound. Unfortunately, it was too late for Stenberg who died from the breast cancer in 2007.

Illinois medical malpractice lawsuit

Her family filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Pearson and a jury awarded Stenberg's family $3.6 million in damages. That money will be used to support Stenberg's 23 year old daughter who is mentally disabled and now lives in a group home.

Failure to correctly diagnose is common

Doctors' failures to correctly diagnose medical conditions are common. While we all place a certain amount of trust in our doctor's diagnoses, the fact remains that they are human and make mistakes. Doctors receive a great deal of training and will be held to a certain level of competency. If it is found that they haven't met that level, then they should be held accountable for their actions. In this case, the jury found that Dr. Pearson should have taken the extra step and had an ultrasound test which may have saved Stenberg's life.

While many misdiagnosis cases simply go undetected, those that are detected may very well be actionable. If you've been injured due to a doctor's medical malpractice, seek the advice of a medical malpractice attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. You may be entitled to compensation.