Failure to diagnose breast cancer

Case histories are based on actual medical negligence claims, however, certain facts have been omitted or changed by the author to ensure the anonymity of the parties involved. Failure to diagnose cancer is a relatively common cause of medical negligence claims against general practitioners. Most of these cases involve patients under the age of 40 years who are diagnosed with breast cancer. The most common causes of these claims are: the physical findings failed to impress the GP as suspicious failure of the GP to follow up the patient in a timely manner. This article outlines some risk management strategies for GPs to minimise the possibility of a claim arising from the failure to diagnose breast cancer.