Undiagnosed Stomach Cancer Leads To Death

Undiagnosed Stomach Cancer Leads To Death

Verdict: Not Guilty

Date: August 2010

County: Cook

PLTF Medical: Dr. Loren Dardi (Pathologist)

PLTF Experts: Dr. Marshall Sparberg (Gastroenterologist) and Dr. Malin Dollinger (Oncologist)

DEF Experts: Dr. Kenneth Micetich (Oncologist), Dr. David Pike (Internist), and Dr. David J. Sales (Gastroenterologist)

Summary: Patient went to his internist complaining of right sided diffuse abdominal pain and continued to see the internist over 7 months with pain on some of those occasions. The Patient was referred to a gastroenterologist who found nothing wrong. The patient went to another gastroenterologist whose testing resulted in the same findings. Patient was diagnosed with stomach cancer four months later and died three months after the diagnosis. The estate contended that the gastroenterologists should have ordered upper endoscopies and claimed that patient would have survived if he had a timely diagnosis. The defense argued that patients complaints did not warrant ordering an upper endoscopy, agreed that the patient had cancer when he was seen by both gastroenterologists, but that it had metastasized to his lungs by that time and his life could not have been saved.

Category: Medical Malpractice, Wrongful Death