Understanding prostate cancer and medical negligence
Prostate cancer is a common form of cancer that affects men, particularly those aged 50 and above. However, it’s not the disease alone that poses a threat to the patient's health. Inaccurate diagnosis, delayed treatment, and medical negligence can exacerbate the condition, leading to life-threatening complications.
What is prostate cancer?
The prostate is a small walnut-sized gland part of the male reproductive system. It is located between the bladder and the penis, encircling the urethra. Its primary function is to produce a thick white fluid that forms semen when mixed with the sperm produced by the testes.
The prostate gland is susceptible to cancerous growth, leading to prostate cancer. Prostate cancer develops when the cells in the prostate gland mutate and start to multiply out of control. These cells can then spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes, in a process known as metastasis.
Prostate cancer in the UK
According to Cancer Research UK prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 48,500 new cases diagnosed every year. The disease is more prevalent in older men, with most cases being diagnosed in men aged 50 or older. It is also more common in black men and less common in Asian men for reasons currently unknown. Lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise also contribute to an individual’s risk of developing prostate cancer.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer typically develops slowly, often without noticeable symptoms in the early stages.
Once the prostate is large enough to affect the urethra, symptoms may include:
- Increased need to urinate
- Straining while urinating
- Feeling that the bladder is not completely empty
- Blood in the urine or semen
- Erectile dysfunction
- Pelvic discomfort
These symptoms alone do not confirm prostate cancer but should not be ignored.
Diagnosis and treatment
There is no single test for prostate cancer. The diagnosis is typically based on a combination of the following tests:
- Blood tests, including a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test
- Digital rectal examination (DRE)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan
- Biopsy
Depending on the stage and grade of the cancer, as well as the patient's overall health and patient preferences, treatment options may include:
- Watchful waiting or active surveillance
- Surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy)
- Radiotherapy (external beam or brachytherapy)
- Hormone therapy
- Chemotherapy
The choice of treatment is a collaborative decision between patients and their healthcare professionals, considering the risks and benefits of each option.
Early detection of prostate cancer significantly improves treatment outcomes and overall prognosis.
Medical negligence and prostate cancer
Medical negligence is a term used to describe a situation where a healthcare provider fails to provide the standard of care that a competent professional would have provided, resulting in harm to the patient. In the context of prostate cancer, medical negligence can occur in various ways:
- Delayed diagnosis: Factors contributing to misdiagnosis of delayed diagnosis may include not listening to a patient’s concerns; failing to correctly interpret symptoms; inadequate screening; misinterpretation of test results; and failing to refer the patient to a specialist.
- Misdiagnosis: Misdiagnosing prostate cancer as a urinary tract infection, an enlarged prostate, or prostatitis.
- Inappropriate treatment: In some cases, patients may receive inappropriate or unnecessary treatment for prostate cancer due to errors in diagnosis or management decisions.
- Surgical complications: Surgical intervention, such as radical prostatectomy, carries inherent risks of complications including urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and bowel dysfunction. However, instances of surgical negligence, such as improper surgical technique can compromise patient outcomes.
The impact of medical negligence
When prostate cancer is detected early, the chances of successful treatment are high. However, if there are significant delays in diagnosis or treatment due to medical negligence, the cancer can spread, becoming life-threatening. In such cases, the patient may be entitled to make a medical negligence claim.
Making a medical negligence claim
If you or a loved one has been impacted by medical negligence, consider seeking legal advice. A medical negligence claim can help you receive compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial harm you have suffered due to the negligence.
These claims are complex, so it's vital to select a legal expert in this field.
At Tees our specialist medical negligence solicitors can guide you through the process, offering clear, straightforward advice at each step.
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Always consult a qualified legal professional for advice on your specific situation.
Chat to the Author, Janine Collier
Executive Partner, Medical Negligence, Cambridge office
Meet Janine
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Legal 500 UK 2023
'Janine Collier has an amazing reputation and quite rightly, she very quickly spotted something that wasn’t the main focus of the case but is able to zoom out and look at everything that’s going on and spot things others wouldn’t spot. You can tell she really cares and is a very dedicated person who just wants to help. The team are all caring and efficient'
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Chambers & Partners 2022
Cambridge
'Janine Collier is renowned for her handling of delay in diagnosis, obstetric injury and surgical negligence claims. She is at the top of her game and knows clinical negligence inside and out'
Susan Hickman
Cambridge
'We consider ourselves fortunate to have been recommended to Tees by the solicitor we initially approached. We did not realise it until the case was well established that the level of professional care we were receiving was exceptional and that the experience of the individuals and the contacts they have to assist in a very complex case was the best available. We are grateful that we received a satisfactory settlement as a result of their efforts under difficult circumstances and dealing with defendants that were obstructive and disorganised. By far the greatest benefit for us however is the fact that the victim, with assistance from highly skilled experts that we would not have known about otherwise, learned to walk short distances when all other medical opinion did not consider this possible. This was their greatest achievement which is well beyond the service we expected'
Legal 500 UK 2021
"Janine Collier, head of department, is a perspicacious and very able lawyer, certainly one of the best in the region and beyond, who believes in her team and in the work she does. A genuinely nice person who sees it as her clients’ right and her duty to achieve the best possible outcome for them. Janine delivers this time after time. She is an extremely intelligent and intuitive lawyer who has a genuine understanding of the difficulties and fears clients experience when living with an avoidable injury."
Legal 500 UK 2021
"Janine Collier is a really good solicitor – she really understands the medicine in clin neg cases and works well with the team, the clients and the experts to get excellent results in difficult cases."
Legal 500 UK 2021
"Janine Collier is exceptionally good at analysis, organisation and strategy."
Legal 500 UK 2021
"Janine Collier is a really good solicitor, she really understands the medicine in clinical negligence cases and works well with the team, the clients and the experts to get excellent results in difficult cases."
Legal 500 2021
"Janine Collier shows dedication to ensuring access to the highest level of experts on medical negligence cases. There is excellent consistent communication with experts throughout a lengthy case, creating a supportive working atmosphere and ensuring long-term engagement of expert. She has a very intelligent and insightful approach to learning from experts, enabling sharing of detailed specialist information and findings with confidence, and she is excellent in multi-professional meetings with solicitors and barristers, enhancing communication in exceptionally complex cases; very high level of sensitivity demonstrated towards the needs of client throughout the case, consistently focusing on the multifactorial needs of the client, over and above the monetary compensation."
Legal 500 UK 2021
"Janine Collier has been amazing to work with. She is always quick to respond to queries, always takes time to make sure we fully understand the process and supports us to make decisions, i.e. switching from Legal Aid to no-win no-fee, with well reasoned and researched information to support us."
Legal 500 UK 2021
‘It has always been a rewarding experience working with Janine Collier and I would commend her very highly to lead on medical negligence cases.‘
The Fisher family
Janine works with empathy, understanding and compassion. She handled our mother's inquest with skill and sensitivity and guided us expertly. She kept us informed continually via email and multiple meetings and phone calls. Janine completely took the sting and the stress out of our case.