How Can a Doctor’s Negligence Worsen Acute Myeloid Leukemia?

Around 20,000 people are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) every year in America. Of these, more than 11,000 people die as a result of their diagnosis. While AML is a serious disease on its own, it can be made worse as a result of a healthcare practitioner’s negligence.

What Is Acute Myeloid Leukemia?

AML is a blood cancer that occurs when cancerous cells in the bone marrow produce abnormal red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It is the most common type of leukemia in adults, accounting for around 80 percent of all adult leukemia cases.

Symptoms may not be immediately concerning to someone in the early stages of AML, but symptoms tend to become more numerous and severe as the disease progresses. Some common symptoms include:

• unusual or frequent bleeding
• easily bruised skin
• fever
• frequent infections or illnesses
• excessively pale skin, sometimes with flat red or purple spots
• night sweats
• bone and joint pain
• feeling weak or tired
• unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
• sores or wounds that don’t heal
• frequent headaches, dizziness, or blurred vision

While there are treatments available for AML, they’re not very effective in the elderly population or in patients who are diagnosed late in the course of their disease. In patients over the age of 65, the survival rate at five years is less than 9 percent, and only 39 percent in patients under the age of 65, giving it the highest mortality rate among all types of leukemia.

What Causes AML?

While there is no single cause for the development of AML, there are some factors that put people at a higher risk of developing AML at some point in their lives. The risk of developing AML increases with age, with the most frequent diagnoses being in those over the age of 65. Other risk factors include:

• toxic exposure to chemicals like benzene, radiation, and cigarette smoke
• the presence of other blood disorders
• various genetic syndromes
• previous cancer therapy

While most risk factors for AML cannot be changed or prevented, toxic exposure to dangerous chemicals is almost always preventable. Most victims of toxic exposure encounter chemicals like benzene through their jobs, which is why employers are required to properly warn their employees and provide appropriate training and protective equipment if their workers come into contact with these dangerous chemicals during their employment.

How Can Malpractice Occur?

When employers, property owners, or product manufacturers fail to warn workers of the risks of dangerous chemicals and/or fail to offer proper training and protective equipment, they can be held liable for any harm caused by prolonged toxic exposure. 

Many companies employ a medical team to help care for injured workers. When they also fail to warn employees of the risk of chemical exposure or dismiss (either through their own negligence or at the request of their employer) symptoms reported by workers as something minor that should be ignored, they can be found guilty of medical malpractice. 

Likewise, when a worker develops symptoms of AML and goes to an outside doctor for help, they should be screened for AML, especially if their doctor knows that their patient’s workplace could be the source of potentially dangerous chemical exposure. When employers, employer-associated medical professionals, and victims’ own healthcare professionals ignore the signs of AML despite a known risk factor, they may be held liable for any harm that occurs as a result of the delayed diagnosis of AML.

How Can You Tell If Malpractice Has Occurred?

Unfortunately, when it comes to deadly cancers like acute myeloid leukemia, proving that a catastrophic outcome was the result of malpractice can be difficult. Even with an early diagnosis and proper treatment, the odds of making a full recovery aren’t very favorable. If you or your loved one had a known or suspected long-term exposure to dangerous chemicals and developed AML, further investigation may be warranted. 

Did your employer fail to warn, train, or equip you with proper safety equipment to protect you on the job? Were you told by your employer-provided healthcare provider that you had nothing to worry about when you started to get sick? Did your own doctor ignore or downplay your symptoms despite knowing that you had a history of toxic exposure? If any of these situations apply to you, you may be able to make a case for employer negligence and/or medical malpractice.

Why Choose Ross Feller Casey?

When someone receives a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, the news can come as a huge shock, and the consequences can be devastating. When the diagnosis of AML is delayed due to malpractice, figuring out the next steps can be overwhelming.

The legal team at Ross Feller Casey has extensive experience with personal injury claims, including those involving medical malpractice and toxic exposure. Our seasoned lawyers and Ivy League-trained doctors will work together to determine whether your diagnosis should have been made before the AML could become severe.

Suppose a different competent medical professional had screened you for AML when you first developed symptoms, particularly if you had a known or suspected history of toxic exposure. In that case, you deserve to be compensated for any harm caused by a delayed or missed diagnosis.

Ross Feller Casey handles all of its cases, including those involving acute myeloid leukemia, on a contingency basis. That means you will not pay a thing until a recovery is made in your case. Contact us today for your free consultation.