Bladder cancer compensation

If you or a family member has developed bladder cancer due to circumstances that were not your fault – or have been the victim of clinical failings in diagnosis or treatment – our specialist solicitors can help.

We are an experienced workplace injury and medical negligence firm and provide help and support to access compensation.

Contact us via phone or email. We’ll advise how we can help and whether you may have a valid claim.

Do I have a bladder cancer claim?

Bladder cancer claims commonly arise from both medical negligence and workplace exposure to chemicals.

If you have been exposed to chemicals that are known to be linked to the development of bladder cancer you may have grounds for a compensation claim.

Similarly, if there was a delay in diagnosis of your bladder cancer or mistakes in your treatment for it you may have a clinical negligence claim.

We also help when people have suffered incontinence, bowel or bladder damage in some other way where someone else is at fault.

Bladder cancer misdiagnosis and medical negligence

Any treatment you receive that does not meet the standard that would reasonably be expected of a competent medical professional AND results in harm to you may be classified as clinical negligence.

There are a number of common scenarios that amount to negligence in the treatment or diagnosis of bladder cancer.

These include GP or specialist/urologist failures to:

• ask the right questions when a patient presents with symptoms and/or gather a proper medical history
• carry out required tests, where necessary, including a cystoscopy
• correctly complete tests and correctly interpret test results
• ensure necessary follow-up treatment is given
• fully inform patients of the risks involved in treatment (gain informed consent)
• see patients in a timely manner to avoid delays in diagnosis or treatment
• identify certain symptoms as being potentially related to bladder cancer and investigate further, those symptoms may include:
  • blood in urine/wee (haematuria)
  • frequent need to urinate and sudden need to urinate
  • burning sensation when passing urine.

Symptoms of bladder cancer are sometimes mistaken for symptoms of urinary tract infection, cystitis, a kidney infection or an enlarged prostate gland in men. These other conditions may also be the cause of similar symptoms, but medical professionals must follow guidelines to ensure they do not jump to the wrong conclusions.

Other things that may lead to bladder cancer where negligence may be a factor, include:

• inappropriate radiotherapy or radiotherapy that would have been unnecessary had it not been for a clinical mistake, especially if given close to the bladder, such as to treat bowel cancer, or failures to explain the risks
• chemotherapy
• undiagnosed or untreated schistosomiasis (bilharzia)
• mistakes relating to an indwelling catheter, such as those used when someone is paralysed.

Get in touch if you are concerned about your medical treatment before or during bladder cancer.

How much compensation am I entitled to for bladder cancer negligence?

Compensation payments may run into five or six figure sums where bladder cancer causes long-term life-changing damage as a result of someone else’s action or inaction.

The amount of compensation a person is entitled to if they suffer bladder cancer depends on factors including how much of an impact the cancer has had on their life and to what extent someone else is to blame for that impact.

The consequences of bladder cancer can be extremely serious, heartbreaking, life changing or even fatal. The highest compensation payments go to people who have long lasting, serious consequences.

Compensation awards are made up of two parts: general damages and special damages.

General damages tend to be restricted by guidelines while special damages will be paid according to arguments and evidence put forward by your solicitor over financial losses and costs you have incurred and will incur as a result of someone else’s negligence.

Judicial College Guidelines indicate the proper award of general damages for middle-aged family man or woman whose life expectancy is reduced by 15 or 20 years is £48,520 to £71,490. People who suffer serious impairment of bladder function with pain and incontinence may qualify for general damages of £60,050 to £75,010, but in both cases the total award could be significantly higher due to the additional special damages element.

A specialist solicitor will maximise the total of a claim through the special damages element of claims. They have a thorough understanding of the possible future impacts of bladder cancer and an awareness of all the possible treatments and care a sufferer could access and will ensure that is included in the claim.