Portland Failure to Diagnose Ovarian Cancer Lawyer

Every year, thousands of women depend on their doctors to pay attention, ask the right questions, and respond with urgency when something doesn’t feel right. When that trust is broken, the outcomes can be devastating. Anyone looking for a Portland failure to diagnose ovarian cancer lawyer can turn to Paulson Coletti. We understand how devastating and long-lasting the effects of a missed or delayed diagnosis can be. We’re here to hold healthcare providers accountable for the harm caused when ovarian cancer is overlooked.

Why Ovarian Cancer Is Often Misdiagnosed or Overlooked

Ovarian cancer has long been referred to as a silent killer, not because it lacks symptoms, but because the signs are subtle and often mistaken for more common ailments. Many women visit their doctors multiple times before receiving a correct diagnosis. Unfortunately, in that window of delay, the cancer can spread beyond the ovaries, making treatment more difficult and outcomes less hopeful.

Medical professionals may attribute persistent bloating, fatigue, or pelvic pain to conditions like IBS, urinary tract infections, or even menopause. The failure to run proper diagnostic tests, such as transvaginal ultrasounds or CA-125 blood tests, often results in missed opportunities for early intervention.

Too often, doctors rely on age or family history and miss cases that don’t follow a typical pattern. Women who push for answers might be dismissed as overly anxious. This can delay diagnosis and strain the doctor-patient relationship, leaving patients unheard and at risk.

Women looking for a Portland failure to diagnose ovarian cancer lawyer often mention how long it took to have their concerns taken seriously. This delay isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous.

Common Symptoms Doctors Fail to Recognize

Ovarian cancer symptoms can mirror less serious health issues, but their persistence or combination should prompt a deeper medical evaluation. These may include:

• Persistent abdominal bloating or swelling
• Quickly feeling full when eating
• Pelvic or lower abdominal pain
• Frequent or urgent urination
• Changes in bowel habits
• Unexplained fatigue or weight loss

When physicians dismiss these signs or treat them symptomatically without pursuing their underlying cause, critical time is lost.

Patients often report visiting urgent care or even the emergency room with these complaints, only to be discharged with advice to rest or take over-the-counter medications. In these moments, a deeper inquiry or even a basic pelvic exam could make all the difference in detecting cancer early. That missed chance can mean a shift from hopeful treatment to palliative care.

Delayed Diagnosis and Its Impact on Prognosis

When caught early, ovarian cancer has a five-year survival rate of over 90%. However, the majority of cases are diagnosed in later stages, where the five-year survival rate drops dramatically.

A delayed diagnosis can mean:

• More aggressive treatments, including chemotherapy or surgery
• Higher risk of recurrence
• Increased emotional and physical burden on patients and their families
• Shortened life expectancy

Beyond the clinical consequences, the emotional weight of a late-stage diagnosis is devastating. Many patients describe feeling robbed of choices and of time. In some cases, a woman who could have looked forward to recovery is instead planning for end-of-life care. The grief that accompanies this kind of news is layered with frustration and confusion, especially when the signs were there all along.

How to Prove Failure to Diagnose Ovarian Cancer

Proving a failure to diagnose requires a careful review of medical records, expert consultations, and detailed timelines. A successful claim must demonstrate:

• A doctor-patient relationship existed
• The standard of care was not met (i.e., what a reasonably competent doctor would have done in the same situation)
• This deviation directly caused harm, such as a worsened condition or death

Witness testimony, diagnostic timelines, and pathology reports all play a role in building a compelling malpractice case. It’s not enough to show that cancer was diagnosed late, you must show it should have been caught earlier.

In some situations, key diagnostic tools were available but simply never ordered. In others, abnormal test results were misinterpreted or never communicated to the patient. These kinds of administrative or interpretive errors are not just oversights; they’re breaches of duty with life-altering consequences. A legal team will look at every step in your care timeline, identifying missed moments and gaps in decision-making.

Statute of Limitations for Malpractice Claims in Oregon

Under Oregon law, individuals seeking to file a malpractice claim must do so within two years from the date the injury was discovered — or reasonably should have been discovered — following medical, surgical, or dental treatment. 

Missing this deadline can mean losing your legal right to pursue compensation. Courts tend to interpret this timing strictly, and while limited exceptions exist for minors or individuals under certain disabilities, most adults must act within that two-year window. That’s why it’s important to speak with a lawyer as soon as you suspect a diagnostic error.

Who May Be Responsible for a Delayed Cancer Diagnosis?

More than one party may share responsibility for a missed diagnosis. Depending on your case, this may include:

• Primary care physicians who overlooked warning signs
• OB-GYNs who failed to order diagnostic tests
• Radiologists who misread imaging
• Lab technicians who provided inaccurate results
• Hospitals that created systemic delays in care

Determining liability is a complex process, but a thorough investigation can reveal where communication broke down or where judgment fell short.

For example, a radiologist may have flagged a suspicious mass but failed to alert the treating physician to its urgency. Or, an OB-GYN might have documented a patient’s complaints but failed to escalate testing after symptoms persisted. These gaps often exist not in a vacuum but as part of a larger breakdown in continuity of care. Pinpointing each failure helps shape a complete picture for legal accountability.

Recoverable Damages in Ovarian Cancer Misdiagnosis Cases

Financial compensation can never undo the harm of a delayed diagnosis, but it can provide much-needed support for ongoing care and recovery. In Oregon, plaintiffs may be eligible to recover both economic and non-economic damages.

Medical Costs and Future Treatment Needs

Cancer treatment is expensive, especially when delayed diagnosis results in more aggressive interventions. Recoverable costs may include:

• Hospital stays
• Surgeries
• Chemotherapy or radiation
• Prescription medications
• Ongoing follow-up and specialist care

Costs also extend beyond the immediate horizon. Survivors may need hormone therapy, physical therapy, or fertility preservation procedures that would have been avoidable with earlier intervention.

Emotional and Physical Pain

According to the Cornell Law, pain and suffering refers to the physical discomfort and emotional distress that result from an injury — including anguish, inconvenience, and trauma — and are compensable as noneconomic damages. 

These damages may reflect the distress of:

• Living with a terminal or advanced condition
• Undergoing painful treatments
• Facing a dramatically shortened life expectancy

Emotional pain may also include anxiety, depression, and strained personal relationships. Many patients develop PTSD-like symptoms due to medical trauma and the shock of their diagnosis.

Loss of Quality of Life and Earning Potential

A delayed diagnosis often means missed time at work and a reduced ability to participate in daily activities. Compensation can help address:

• Lost income or employment
• Diminished ability to enjoy hobbies, family time, or travel
• Reduced life planning capacity

In addition, some women may have been forced to leave their careers entirely or face lifelong disability. Financial recovery here isn’t just about current earnings, but what’s lost over decades.

Wrongful Death Damages for Surviving Families

When a delayed diagnosis results in death, surviving loved ones may pursue wrongful death claims. These can include:

• Funeral and burial costs
• Lost companionship
• Loss of household income
• Grief and mental anguish

These claims provide families a measure of closure and support, especially when the deceased played a central caregiving or financial role. While no compensation can replace a loved one, it may help families manage the difficult road that follows.

Why Choose Paulson Coletti for Your Cancer Misdiagnosis Case?

At Paulson Coletti, our medical malpractice lawyer Portland team represents families across the city who have been harmed by preventable medical errors. We develop detailed cases that show where care broke down and who should be held accountable, drawing on available medical insight where appropriate.

Every situation is unique, and we believe your legal representation should reflect that. Our approach is compassionate and grounded in real conversations with the people we serve.

Our focus in medical malpractice includes not only legal analysis but a practical understanding of how these errors happen in real medical settings. We’ve seen how subtle signs go ignored, how tests fall through the cracks, and how patients pay the price. With each case we take, we aim to push the system toward greater accountability.

Talk to a Portland Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

Too many women endure unnecessary harm because a physician failed to listen, investigate, or act. Whether you’re seeking justice for yourself or someone you loved, a delay in diagnosis shouldn’t become a life sentence.

Call Paulson Coletti today at 503-226-6361  to talk with a Portland failure to diagnose ovarian cancer lawyer who understands the seriousness of your situation and is ready to help. Let’s talk about what happened, what you need, and how we can move forward together.

This page has been written, edited, and fact-checked by our team of legal writers in accordance with our editorial guidelines. It has been approved by partners Jane Paulson and John Coletti—respected trial attorneys with decades of experience representing personal injury victims.