$2.2 Million Recovery During Trial for Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer

After a week of trial, Blume Donnelly principal Carol Forte obtained a $2.2 million settlement on behalf of a client whose breast cancer was not timely diagnosed after her mammograms were misread. The plaintiff had undergone annual mammography studies at a New Jersey Radiology Center, and was assured that they were all normal. Then, in 2002, advanced breast cancer was diagnosed. In re-reviewing the 200 and 2001 mammography films, it was established that each contained micro calcifications in the same location where breast cancer was subsequently found. The defendants did not appreciate the number and significance of the micro calcifications, and, the client was never informed that they were increasing in number. Had the diagnosis been made earlier, this would have increased the plaintiff’s chances of survival.