Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2012, approximately 227,000 women in America were diagnosed with breast cancer.

What are the treatment options?

The treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. However, surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer.

Surgery may involve removing part of the breast, a lumpectomy or a segmental mastectomy, or removal of the whole breast. The choice between breast-sparing surgery and a mastectomy depends on the size, location, and stage of the tumor, as well as the size of the breast.

When Breast Cancer Goes Undiagnosed

Breast cancer cases are one of the most common types of medical malpractice cases. When a lawsuit is filed, multiple specialties are often named in the lawsuit. While OBGYNs were previously the typical defendants, nowadays radiologists are the most frequent defendants of breast cancer lawsuits.

Though breast cancer is less common in younger women, a large percentage of women involved in a breast cancer lawsuits are around the age of 44. Why is this? Physicians are well-aware that 5 out of every 6 cases of breast cancer occur in women over 40. In effect, some physicians ignore breast lumps in younger women, resulting in a delayed diagnosis.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, the failure to diagnose or the delayed diagnoses of cancer can effect a patient's morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, frequently missed diseases include breast, colon, melanoma and lung cancers. In such cases, the most common outcome of the alleged malpractice was patient death.

If your family has been affected by a breast cancer misdiagnosis, a medical malpractice attorney can help you determine if you have grounds to file a lawsuit.