Screening and Treatment Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer

Common symptoms of ovarian cancer, like bloating and abdominal pain, can be caused by many benign conditions. To a physician, though, they should indicate that the patient may have ovarian cancer and should prompt an investigation. If ovarian cancer is caught early, it is often treatable. Sadly, though, many doctors fail to abide by the recommendations for screening and treating ovarian cancer, causing their patients to suffer grave harm. If you or someone you love were injured due to a doctor’s failure to abide by the screening and treatment guidelines for ovarian cancer, you have the right to seek damages for your losses, and you should talk to an attorney concerning your potential medical malpractice claims. The experienced Syracuse medical malpractice lawyers of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, LLP Cancer Lawyers are committed to helping people harmed by the negligent management of cancer in the pursuit of justice, and if we represent you, we will advocate aggressively on your behalf.

Ovarian cancer lacks established routine screening methods for individuals at average risk. While medical organizations currently do not recommend routine screening, those at higher risk, mainly due to genetic factors, may undergo genetic testing, pelvic examinations, and transvaginal ultrasounds. Genetic counseling, specifically for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, plays a pivotal role in identifying high-risk individuals and guiding risk reduction strategies, such as prophylactic surgery.

Treatment guidelines for ovarian cancer typically recommend a multidimensional approach based on factors like disease stage and histology. Surgery is typically the first treatment employed, often followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Additionally, advances in targeted therapies, notably PARP inhibitors, have reshaped treatment options, particularly for patients with BRCA mutations.

Patients who present to physicians with symptoms of ovarian cancer expect that they will be assessed in a timely manner and offered an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. When physicians fall short of meeting these expectations, causing harm to their patients, the affected individuals will often seek compensation through medical malpractice lawsuits.

As the harm caused by the failure to abide by screening and treatment guidelines for ovarian cancer is usually not intentional, most medical malpractice cases seeking compensation for such harm will set forth a negligence claim against the defendant.

To establish a healthcare provider’s negligence under New York law, the plaintiff needs to show that the defendant had a duty to provide care consistent with what is considered the accepted and good practice of medicine within the relevant medical community. In other words, the defendant had an obligation to provide the level of care a competent physician practicing in the same specialty would administer under similar circumstances.

Next, the plaintiff has to show that the defendant failed to abide by the applicable standard of care. Finally, the plaintiff must show that they suffered quantifiable losses and that such losses were the direct result of the defendant’s deviation from the standard of care. In the majority of cases, the plaintiff will need to retain a medical expert to explain the standard of care to the judge or jury, as well as the ways in which the defendant departed from the standard of care, causing the plaintiff harm.

Screening and treatment guidelines for ovarian cancer are designed to help physicians detect and manage malignancies in the best manner possible, but sadly, they are often ignored, and patients suffer harm as a result of such oversights. If you or a loved one sustained damages due to a doctor’s carelessness, it is in your best interest to talk to an attorney to determine your options. The dedicated Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, LLP Cancer Lawyers, can evaluate your case and offer you advice regarding your potential claims. We regularly represent injured parties in cancer-related lawsuits in Syracuse, where our primary office is, as well as in Rochester and other cities in Upstate New York. You can contact us to arrange a free and confidential conference by using our online form or by calling us at 833-200-2000.