Events across the world to mark World Cancer Day on 04 February 2015
World Cancer Day, taking place on 04 February 2015, aims to raise awareness of the implications of cancer worldwide, while campaigning to improve early detection, survival rates and treatment.
According to the World Cancer Day charity, one in three people will develop cancer in their lifetime, and 8.2 million people worldwide currently die from cancer every year.
The early detection and diagnosis of cancer can significantly improve a patient’s survival rates, and is a key theme for this year’s awareness day. Recognising early warning signs, screening programmes, and investment in a workforce skilled to successfully diagnose cancer can help to prevent detrimental delays.
Linda Millband, National practice lead for clinical negligence at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Cancer is likely to affect every one of us during our lifetime, a statistic which emphasises the importance of diagnosing cancer early and investing in research to find new treatments.
“World Cancer Day is a chance for people across the world to come together and support each other if they have been affected by the condition. It acts as a reminder that there is still much more that can be done in the fight against cancer.”
Thompsons Solicitors has supported more than 450 women affected by the negligent practice of breast surgeon Ian Paterson. Many of his patients, including Thompsons’ client Gail Bochiat, were wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently underwent unnecessary operations, others weren’t diagnosed in time or treated inappropriately.
Ms Uppal continued: “At Thompsons, we have supported hundreds of patients affected by the delay or misdiagnosis of cancer, including those who were misdiagnosed and wrongly treated by Ian Paterson. We have seen the very real impact of misdiagnosis of cancer and fully support this year’s World Cancer Day theme of early detection.
“While incidents of such widespread negligence, as we saw in the Paterson case, are rare, it is crucial that sufficient resources and funding is in place to deliver appropriate care to cancer patients, and provide accurate diagnose as early as possible.”
Concerned about negligent medical treatment or diagnoses? Talk to us for advice and support today.
Our discreet and compassionate medical negligence solicitors are experienced in the full range of medical injury claims and will work with you to establish whether you have a medical negligence compensation claim.
If you, or a loved one, think you have suffered medical negligence, such as a birth injury (for example, a cerebral palsy diagnosis following a difficult birth), misdiagnosis (such as cancer misdiagnosis), or suffered negligence during an operation contact us for advice.
If the incident happened more than three years ago, you will usually not be able to make a claim for compensation. However, exceptions do apply – such as instances where you could not have reasonably known your symptoms were caused by clinical negligence, or cases involves adults who lack legal capacity or children – so contact us for advice.
For further information, visit our How to Make A Compensation Claim page.