More and more patients are coming forward with reports of missed cervical cancer after undergoing Pap smear screenings.

Pap smears are used to help diagnose cervical cancer early. Although it is a generally reliable process, some have suffered because of missed cervical cancer diagnoses. If doctors missed cervical cancer signs during a Pap smear, a patient may be diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective, placing the patient at serious risk. Missed cervical cancer could be the result of a false negative test or simply not noticing the signs.

Thousands of Cervical Cancer Tests Being Reevaluated

At one laboratory in England, thousands of cervical cancer tests had to be rescreened after a problem was found during a routine quality assurance visit. Hundreds so far have been reviewed and some patients have been called back in for further screening.

“All the women who have so far been identified as needing to be seen again have been notified and their GP informed. Women whose negative result has been confirmed after rescreening will not be contacted as their result has not changed,” said Basildon and Thurrock NHS foundation trust in a statement. “We understand that this is a potentially worrying time for the women involved and would like to reassure all women covered by the locally provided cervical screening programme that this was an isolated incident.”

Basics of Pap Smear Screening

A Pap smear screening can be essential to catching cancer in its early and more treatable stages. The Pap smear process has been around for decades, and these tests become extremely useful tools for detecting pre-cancer. The death rate from cervical cancer has substantially dropped because these tests allow a patient with a potential cervical cancer diagnosis to undergo treatment, stopping cancer before it can progress.

A Pap smear screening collects cells from the cervix, which are examined for evidence of cancer and changes that may indicate a potential cervical cancer diagnosis in the future. This allows a patient to undergo preventative treatment, which can stop the cancer entirely. Cervical cancer has become one of the most preventable gynecologic cancers because of the role of Pap smear screening in detecting cancer early on.

Missed Cervical Cancer Diagnoses and False Negatives

Despite the definite importance of Pap smear screening, the tests are not infallible. In some cases, a Pap smear screening may be diagnosed incorrectly, or even show a false negative. In these instances, even someone who tested safely during a Pap smear screening may later end up with a cervical cancer diagnosis.

In some cases, this may be due to the negligence of medical labs that failed to properly diagnose the Pap smear screening in the first place. For instance, a medical lab may have observed the Pap smear test results but actually missed cervical cancer signs even though the cancer was in fact there. This delay can mean that the cancer is only diagnosed when it has become far more serious, meaning that it is also much more difficult to treat.

Filing a Missed Cervical Cancer Lawsuit

If you believe that your cancer was not caught due to a defective or misdiagnosed Pap smear screening, you may be able to file a missed cervical cancer lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by cervical cancer or bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses, hospital stays, and lost wages.