UPMC cancer doctor named in a wrongful death lawsuit for malpractice. A Pittsburgh area man filed a medical malpractice lawsuit for wrongful death related to what he believes is her wrongful death. The suit alleges that between 2009 and 2011 the doctor failed to perform tests on a known liver lesion which became the size of a grapefruit and had to be diagnosed at another facility.
The liver lesion was diagnosed in 2005 and she was referred to the cancer specialist in 2007. The doctor did a CT scan in April 2008 and recommended "watchful waiting." The doctor wanted to wait another year to do follow up scan testing but failed to schedule the exam. In 2011 the woman went to the Mayo Clinic where it was noted a grossly enlarged malignant liver tumor.
The man asserts that her oncologist did not properly monitor his wifes known liver lesion. A tumor was found when the woman and her husband went to the Mayo Clinic. By the time the tumor was diagnosed it had grown to the size of a grapefruit. The woman died one year later at the age of 51.
Many reasons exist why a survivor might want to file a medical malpractice lawsuit after a wrongful death such as this one. Those left behind relied on the person who died for financial support. Sometimes a lawsuit allows the survivors closure. Other times people just don't want what happened to them to happen to others and feel filing a lawsuit is their only course of action to prevent such future mistakes.
"*" indicates required fields
