Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2019

Cancer is unfortunately a well-known disease. However, it can often be treated if found early enough.

This October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a worldwide campaign to help spread the awareness of breast cancer and support those in need. There are many charities involved such as Wear It Pink. Please see their website for details.

The time for breast screening is periodical and patients, relying on medical professionals to provide an indication as to when screening should be undertaken, have not had the appropriate screening at the appropriate time.

Breast screening is important as a potential cancer diagnosis can be a tense and emotional time. A prompt diagnosis, not only helps to reassure patients that they’re in good hands, it also improves their chances of catching the disease early and beating the disease.

Here at Williamsons Solicitors, we are helping investigate a case for a lady who began suffering with lumps on her breast. She was referred to the breast clinic in which the nurse diagnosed cysts and drained accordingly. The lady was provided with information with regards to breast cancer, so she was able to check if any changes occurred and, thereafter, seek further medical advice if necessary. She was then discharged from the breast clinic.

The lady attended numerous times at her GP when there were signs of dense breasts, new signs of lumps or her breast had grown in size. The GP referred her on to the breast clinic each time. When she attended the breast clinic, no abnormalities were found, and the lady was discharged. However, the lady did not think things were right.

It was not until 2 years later after various appointments at the hospital when she was seen by an alternative consultant. At this appointment the consultant took the opinion to have the lady to be sent to have a biopsy of her breast. The results showed that she had breast cancer which was ‘widespread’.

The lady had to have mastectomy to help remove this before it spread further which was successful.

It is important with spreading awareness of Breast Cancer to avoid situations where patients have been left untreated or undiagnosed.

It you are looking for support with worries of potential symptoms and want to find out more information about breast cancer, please consider this website (www.breastcancer.org/symptoms) which helps you identify unusual changes in the breast. These symptoms can be;

• a symptom of breast cancer:
• swelling of all or part of the breast
• skin irritation or dimpling
• breast pain
• nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
• redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• a nipple discharge other than breast milk
• a lump in the underarm area

In other cases, however, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you or your doctor can feel. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. It’s important to have anything unusual checked by your doctor.

Individuals, who have sadly died as a result of this error are family members, parents and grandparents. Those families have lost love ones and suffered bereavement as a result. Although compensation cannot make right the error that has occurred, some families will be entitled to be reimbursed for funeral expenses, bereavement, dependency on that family member and loss of love and affection.

Our Medical Negligence Solicitors, have the experience in providing the help and reassurance to those families as well as a sympathetic ear. We strive to leave no stone unturned and to highlight failings to attempt to prevent those failings occurring to other families.

Our specialist Clinical Negligence Department has more than 35 years’ combined experience in the field and we are recognised by top industry bodies including Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) and The Law Society.

Should you wish to speak with one of our members to seek answers, contact our commendable Medical Negligence Department on 01482 32397.