A New York man has filed suit against a Staten Island hospital and two doctors, alleging his breast cancer was misdiagnosed and then improperly treated.
Phil Lacqua said in his suit that Dr. Robert Silich, the director of surgical oncology at Staten Island University Hospital, had told him a lump he found on his chest was a harmless cyst, the New York Post reported Monday.
However, five months later, the lump had grown to five times the size and Silich diagnosed it as breast cancer and scheduled an emergency mastectomy.
Lacqua also filed suit against Dr. Ronald Scheff, claiming the chemotherapy ordered by the doctor had damaged his heart.
"Nobody checked me when I was doing the chemo," Lacqua said. "Right now, I have to stay on rest for at least three months. The most I can do is maybe walk around the block a little bit."
Lacqua said a brain tumor that was removed earlier this month may have been caused by chemotherapy.
Source: United Press International
