Mother prematurely passed away due to an undiagnosed brain tumour

SP regularly attended her GP with symptoms including tiredness, dizziness, weight loss and headaches. She also experienced severe vomiting. Her symptoms were attributed to different conditions, including food poisoning, a stomach ulcer and depression.

Over time, SP developed confusion and problems with her vision. Despite returning to her GP on several occasions, her symptoms continued to be attributed to depression or stress.

In December 2014, SP suffered severe vomiting, headaches, weakness and acute confusion. An out-of-hours GP requested an ambulance to take her urgently to A&E. However, when the ambulance team arrived, they advised her that she didn’t need to go to hospital.

After Christmas, SP’s condition deteriorated dramatically. A CT scan eventually revealed a mass in the left temporal lobe of her brain, with possible acute bleeding. She was transferred to St George’s Hospital for urgent neurosurgery.

Following surgery, tests confirmed that SP had a Grade IV cancerous brain tumour, known as a cerebral glioma.

Although she received excellent care at St George’s Hospital, she made no real neurological recovery after surgery. Sadly, she died in January 2015.

The medical negligence claim examined whether an earlier diagnosis could have changed the course of her illness and reduced the suffering she experienced in the final months of her life.

SP’s death had a devastating impact on her family. Her daughter was just three years old when she died.

Her family wanted to understand what had happened and establish whether earlier diagnosis and treatment could have given SP more time with her daughter.

They also wanted to help provide financial security for their young daughter following the loss of her mother.

The family pursued a medical negligence claim relating to the delay in diagnosing SP’s brain tumour.

Claims involving a delayed cancer diagnosis can be difficult to establish. This is because the medical evidence must consider whether earlier diagnosis would have changed the outcome, particularly when the cancer may not have been curable.

The team on the case sought independent expert evidence to examine SP’s treatment and the likely effects of an earlier diagnosis. This helped the family investigate whether the delay had shortened SP’s life and increased her suffering.

An oncologist and a neurosurgeon reviewed the evidence. They concluded that SP’s cancer was sadly not curable.

However, they believed that an earlier diagnosis could have prolonged her life by between nine and 15 months.

The experts also believed that earlier diagnosis would have given SP time to make arrangements for her daughter and could have prevented the pain and suffering she experienced during the final months of her life.

SP’s family pursued the claim to establish what could have been done differently and to help provide financial security for her young daughter.

The source confirms the medical experts’ conclusions, but it doesn’t state the final settlement amount or explain the compensation awarded. We therefore can’t confirm the financial outcome of the claim or how any compensation supported the family.

If you have lost a loved one following a suspected medical mistake, you may have questions about the care they received and whether anything could have been done differently.

Contact us today to discuss your circumstances with Fletchers’ medical negligence team.