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Leukaemia is a life-threatening condition that can have permanent effects on your health. A diagnosis is incredibly hard to process. However, this can be even more difficult if at first the cancer is misdiagnosed due to negligent medical treatment. Catching cancer in its early stages can increase the chances of recovery and survival. Therefore, you may wish to learn more about leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims.
Key Takeaways
- Your leukaemia may be misdiagnosed due the failure of a doctor to read your scan or organise the correct testing
- Between 2022/23 and 2024/25, the NHS received 5,648 claims relating to a failed or delayed cancer diagnosis
- Certain groups are more likely to suffer from leukaemia, such as those with genetic disorders or those who smoke
- Some claimants seek private medical treatment, the cost of which can be recovered under misdiagnosis compensation
- The long term effects of leukaemia can include a weakened immune system, infertility and bleeding
Our advisors are available 24/7 to provide you with the information you need. They understand that your cancer misdiagnosis has likely caused a lot of stress, so they will offer straightforward answers to your questions. You can also ask whether you have valid ground to proceed, as you could be connected to an expert No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.
Jump To A Section
- Who Can Make Leukaemia Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims?
- What Could Lead To Leukaemia Being Misdiagnosed?
- What Other Conditions Can Leukaemia Be Mistaken For?
- How Much Leukaemia Misdiagnosis Compensation Could I Get?
- What Do I Need To Prove Leukaemia Medical Negligence?
- Leukaemia Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims With Legal Helpline
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Information
Who Can Make Leukaemia Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims?
You can make a leukaemia misdiagnosis claim if you have suffered avoidable harm due to the failure of a medical professional to give you the minimum standard of care. Misdiagnosis often causes further harm to a patient, as early treatment of cancer increases the chances of survival.
All medical professionals who treat you have a duty of care to provide you the the correct standard of care. Per their duty they must refer to further tests where necessary and consider all symptoms describes to them seriously.
If they fail to do this, leading to your leukaemia being misdiagnosed and you suffering unnecessary harm due to this, you could be eligible to make a medical negligence claim.
We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that you cannot claim for all forms of harm. Cancer is a difficult condition, often requiring long and painful procedures to treat it. Leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims will relate to pain that was an avoidable part of treatment, such as the worsening of your health due to the misdiagnosis.
Don’t worry about figuring out medical negligence law on your own. Our advisors are available 24/7 to guide you through the next steps. They will explain in simple terms whether or not you are eligible to claim compensation why.
What Could Lead To Leukaemia Being Misdiagnosed?
Many incidents, such as misread scans and a failure to arrange further testing, could lead to leukaemia being misdiagnosed. Keep reading for more detailed examples of when you can start a medical negligence claim:
- You visit a GP and describe the typical symptoms of leukaemia to them. They state that you have a bacterial infection and prescribe you with antibiotics. By the time you get a correct diagnosis, the abnormal cells have built up in your liver.
- A doctor in a hospital mixes up the results of your bone marrow biopsy with those of another patient. They tell you that no cancerous cells were found. Overtime, your health worsens. You experience pain in your joints and suffer multiple infections that could have been avoided if the treatment began earlier.
- A medical professional misreads your blood test results, despite there being a high number of abnormal white blood cells which should call for further testing. This leads to your leukaemia worsening in condition and you later needing more aggressive treatment
Speak with a Legal Helpline advisor to discuss your particular case or to ask any questions about the leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims process.
What Other Conditions Can Leukaemia Be Mistaken For?
Leukaemia can be mistaken for many conditions, such as influenza or haemophilia, as some of the symptoms may overlap. You could also be misdiagnosed with:
- Bacterial infections
- Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)
- Long COVID
- Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS)
- Pathologic fractures
- Autoimmune diseases
This list does not cover all conditions that leukaemia can be misdiagnosed as. Get in touch with our advisors to discuss the specific nature of your misdiagnosis.
How Much Leukaemia Misdiagnosis Compensation Could I Get?
How much leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation you could get will depend on the physical, psychological and financial effects that the negligent treatment caused. The first aspect to consider, which is your pain and suffering, is covered under general damages. If you are likely to experience long term or permanent disabilities, this can be taken into account.
Legal professionals can use the Judicial College Guidelines to assess general damages. This is a document that gives compensation guideline figures for many types and severities of injury and illness. We have included some of these figures in the following table to give you a better understanding of how compensation can be assessed.
When reading the table, please consider that these figures offer no guarantee of how much compensation you could receive. This is due to the fact that medical negligence compensation is calculated on an individual basis. These guideline figures cannot account for the unique impact that each claimant has experienced.
Therefore, you may wish to speak with an advisor to access a tailored case assessment. This service, offered free of charge, allows them to outline the specific aspects of your case that would likely affect your cancer misdiagnosis payout.
Please note that the 1st figure was not taken from the JCG.
| Type and Severity of Harm | Compensation Guideline Bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple forms of severe harm with the associated financial impact | Up to £1,000,000+ | Multiple types of harm with incurred losses such as payments to adjust your home, seek private medical treatment, and access professional care |
| Brain- very severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | The claimant will have little to no meaningful response to their environment, limited or no language function, double incontinence and the need for a full-time carer. |
| Brain- moderately severe | £267,340 to £344,150 | Such injuries result in serious disability, meaning that the affected person has a substantial dependence on others and the requires constant care |
| Brain- moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 | There will be a personality change, moderate/severe level of intellectual deficit, risk of epilepsy and no chance of employment |
| Brain- moderate (ii) | £110,720 to £183,190 | In such cases the ability to work is significantly reduced or removed, there is some risk of epilepsy and a moderate to modest intellectual deficit |
| Reproductive system: male- total loss of reproductive organs | In excess of £187,890 | The compensation will depend of various factors, such as pain/sexual dysfunction, hormonal effects and scarring |
| Lung Disease - Significant and worsening lung function | £66,890 to £85,460 | Caused by disease and impairs breathings |
| Kidney- significant risk of total loss of natural kidney function or future urinary tract infection | Up to £78,080 | It is likely that such harm will lead to substantial medical costs in future. |
| Spleen- loss of spleen with continuing risk of internal disorders and infection | £25,380 to £32,090 | The immune system will have been damaged. |
Special Damages
In addition, leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims can include special damages; this head of claim allows you to recover from the financial harm caused by negligent treatment. For example, you could add the following costs to your misdiagnosis claim:
- Medical expenses- you may seek private healthcare to treat your cancer
- Travel costs- attending medical appointments can become expensive, especially since many cancer treatments need to be administered several times
- Payments for professional care- it may no longer be possible for you to complete certain tasks without help
- The cost of adjusting your home- for example, you may pay to install handrails to assist with your mobility
You should note that, in order to claim special damages, you must be able to prove your costs. You can do this by giving a copy of a receipt or bank statement.
Contact an advisor to learn more about how compensation is valued in medical negligence claims.
What Do I Need To Prove Leukaemia Medical Negligence?
You need sufficient evidence to prove leukaemia medical negligence, such as your medical records and a symptoms diary. Below, we provide a breakdown of evidence you could gather to support your claim:
- A copy of your medical records (this will show your reported symptoms, treatment and test results)
- Contact details of those who witnessed your treatment (at a later stage they may be contact to give a supporting statement)
- A diary of your symptoms and how they developed overtime
- Photos of bodily harm (this does not apply in all cases, but bruising is a common leukaemia symptom)
- Copies of correspondence from the healthcare facility you visited (sometimes hospitals will write to confirm that negligent treatment was given)
Additionally, the Bolam test can be extremely helpful in leukaemia misdiagnosis claims. This is where a panel of medical professionals with the relevant training assess your case and confirm whether or not they believe negligent treatment was given.
You don’t need to figure out what evidence to provide on your own. If you have any questions about how to make a medical negligence claim, you can enquire with an advisor today.
Leukaemia Misdiagnosis Compensation Claims With Legal Helpline
Here at Legal Helpline, leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims could be made with our panel of solicitors on a No Win No Fee basis. Essentially, by signing a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you benefit from not having to pay for your solicitor’s work:
- Before the beginning of the leukaemia misdiagnosis claim
- While the case is being assessed
- If you do not receive misdiagnosis compensation following an unsuccessful claim
However, should you be compensated, you will need to pay a success fee. This is a percentage of your compensation that you give to your solicitor. There is a legally binding cap in place to limit this, so you don’t need to worry about losing out. You will keep the largest share of the compensation for yourself.
In addition, our panel offer the following services to help make the legal process easier for claimants:
- Assistance with the collection of evidence to prove the medical misdiagnosis and how it affected you
- Managing correspondence with the defendant on your behalf
- Negotiating for the compensation to cover your physical, psychological and financial impact
- Giving you straightforward explanations and updates at every stage of the medical negligence claim
Contact Our Team
You can speak with our helpful advisors at your earliest convenience. Whether you want to start the medical negligence claims process or simply ask questions about leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims, they can advise. You may get the opportunity to work with an expert medical negligence solicitor from our panel, so why miss out?
- Call us on 0333 0000 729
- Complete an online contact form
- Use the live chat feature in the corner to speak with a member of the team
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep reading for answers to frequently asked questions we receive about leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims.
What Are The Symptoms Of Leukaemia?
You may experience frequent infections, tiredness, pale skin, breathlessness and a loss of weight without trying.
How Is Leukaemia Diagnosed?
Generally, medical professionals will take a blood test, followed by a bone marrow biopsy if abnormal cells are found.
What Treatment Is Available For Leukaemia?
Treatment can include chemotherapy, medicine, bone marrow and stem cell transplants, and radiotherapy.
What Are The Implications Of Improper Leukaemia Diagnosis?
If leukaemia is not diagnosed, this can allow the cancer to spread to the affected person’s organs, cause symptoms to worsen and, in some cases, result in death.
More Information
Read our other medical negligence claim guides:
- Find out whether you can claim for a stomach cancer misdiagnosis
- Visit this guide on testicular cancer misdiagnosis
- Learn about brain cancer misdiagnosis claims
External resources:
- Read the NHS guide on acute myeloid leukaemia
- Find out how to complain to the NHS
- Visit the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their information how doctors should identify cancer
Thank you for reading this guide on leukaemia misdiagnosis compensation claims.
