Treatment Options for Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is a common type of cancer. While it usually occurs on the part of the skin that’s exposed to sun, it may develop elsewhere as well. Melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma are different types of skin cancer. In some cases, a physician may administer an improper treatment to a patient seeking care for skin cancer symptoms. When doctors detect and treat skin cancer early, a patient has a greater chance of survival. However, a doctor’s deviation from the applicable standard of care can result in the progression and spread skin cancer or may even result in death. If you suspect that your doctor provided improper treatment options for skin cancer which resulted in serious harm, you should consult our seasoned Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys.

There are different types of skin cancer. For instance, basal cell carcinoma, which can appear as a waxy or pearly bump, typically develops on areas of the skin exposed to sun, such as the face. Melanoma, which may show up as irregular moles or lesions, usually arises on the trunk or face of a man affected by it. The type of skin cancer and the stage can determine your treatment options.

Treatment options for skin cancer may include Mohs surgery, excisional surgery, freezing, cryotherapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy, and photodynamic therapy. Each of these treatments addresses the disease through different mechanisms. When the surgeon cannot completely remove skin cancer through surgery, radiation therapy may be appropriate. When skin cancer has metastasized, systemic chemotherapy may be appropriate. Mohs surgery, which involves removing the skin growth by layers, may be used in a recurring skin cancer if a doctor is trying to save the most skin possible in the course of the operation. If your doctor makes an error in treatment that results in you suffering harm, you may have a basis to sue for damages.

Errors in treatment options for skin cancer are only actionable if they fall below the professional standard of care. You can establish your doctor’s liability by showing it’s more likely than not you were owed a professional standard of care that your doctor failed to meet, and that this caused your injuries and damages.

The professional standard of care is determined by looking at what a specialist in the same practice area and geographic region as your doctor would have done. For example, if your spouse passed away due to skin cancer because his surgeon did not perform a Mohs surgery when a reasonably competent dermatological oncologist in Syracuse would have, you may be able to establish skin cancer malpractice and wrongful death. For another example, suppose that your complicated skin cancer requires a plastic surgeon to be involved with reconstructing your skin and minimizing defects when removing a large facial skin cancer. If your plastic surgeon left you disfigured because she made an error in incision when a reasonably competent surgeon in Syracuse would not have, you may have a claim.

Your lawyer will consult with an expert in the same field as the defendant even before filing suit. New York law requires legal counsel to file a certificate of merit with the complaint attesting to their consultation with a licensed doctor who is knowledgeable of the facts of the treatment errors in your case and that they believe your case is meritorious. You may also need to retain experts on other issues such as damages arising out of the skin cancer malpractice.

If you were not properly advised on treatment options for skin cancer, you should discuss whether you have a viable medical malpractice claim with our seasoned lawyers. We represent skin cancer patients and their families across upstate New York in Syracuse, Rochester, Watertown, Lowville, Oswego, Auburn, Canandaigua, Wampsville, Ithaca, Lyons, Oneida, Cooperstown, Utica, Elmira, Herkimer, and Binghamton. Complete DeFrancisco & Falgiatano’s online form or call us at 833-200-2000.