It has been recently reported in a national newspaper that a number of people suffering with bowel cancer in the UK have experienced long delays in diagnosis after their GPs told them that they were too young or healthy to have the disease.

Symptoms of bowel cancer can be similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome; however, if symptoms get worse then it can be a sign of something more serious.  The most common symptoms of bowel cancer include: a persistent change in bowel habits, blood in stool and abdominal pain.

The majority of patients diagnosed with bowel cancer are over the age of 50 however, patients as young as 24 are now being diagnosed after they had previously been re-assured that they had healthy lifestyles and were not old enough to have bowel cancer. Patients returned to their GP on multiple occasions before they finally received the correct diagnosis.

Delays in diagnosis of up to ten years have been reported, which led to significant delays in the patients commencing treatment and this can have a very serious impact. If the disease is caught early then the survival rates are much higher; however, if the disease is more progressed when it is diagnosed then the survival rates can be much lower. In some of the reported cases, patients were told that they will never recover from the disease and that their life expectancy is significantly reduced.

Moosa-Duke Solicitors are specialists in clinical negligence law. If you believe that you or a family member have received substandard care from a GP or been a victim of negligence, due to private or NHS treatment, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0116 254 7456 to discuss your concerns.