Cervical cancer develops slowly, over years, and is considered treatable, yet thousands of women die of cervical cancer each year. Cervical cancer can be detected early through routine testing known as a pap smear, and is treatable. Pap tests that detect precancerous cells allow practitioners to remove the threat before cancer develops. If cancerous cells are found in a pap smear before the cancer has advanced and spread, treatment may also be relatively non-invasive. Yet many women are diagnosed initially with advanced stages of cervical cancer and die prematurely as a result. In these cases, experts say there is a high likelihood of one or more misread pap smears in their history.
New efficiencies in pap smear testing for cervical cancer may lead to misread pap tests and a delay in diagnosing cervical cancer. Making use of technology shortcuts, slides from pap smears are not reviewed as thoroughly as they once were. As a result, technicians reading test slides are expected to process many more slides each day. And in many cases, physicians may never lay eyes on the slides. Women trust that by following the recommended schedule for pap smear testing, they're protected against cervical cancer. Misread pap smears mean that more time -- in some cases, the recommended testing schedule allows for five years between tests -- passes before dangerous cells are detected. Efficiencies such as these are cost-cutting measures undertaken by health care providers, and introduce a hidden risk to public health.
Now, health care providers and technology developers face challenging questions from the public regarding the risk of misread pap smears. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with cervical cancer with no prior indication of possible precancerous cells, you may have legal grounds to file a misread pap smear lawsuit. If the first indication of cancer was a full-fledged or advanced form of the disease, there is a high likelihood of a misread pap smear history. Our attorneys handling cervical cancer claims from women and families nationwide believe these individuals may be eligible for real compensation for the pain, medical expenses, and losses resulting from misread pap smears.