Did Doctors Mistaking Cancer for Mono Nearly Cost a Child Her Life?

Daniel Jeck | | Cancer Misdiagnosis Articles

Could a doctor really mistake cancer for mononucleosis? That may have been the case recently when a 6-year-old girl was the victim of a cancer misdiagnosis involving her doctors mistaking symptoms of metastatic neuroblastoma for mono.

How Did Doctors Mistake Cancer for Mononucleosis?

Per KSDK-TV, a few years after she was born, the 6-year-old girl began experiencing fevers on a frequent basis. After running blood tests, her doctors initially diagnosed her with anemia, before saying her condition was viral and then finally settling on a mononucleosis diagnosis in the summer of 2015. Following her mono diagnosis, the girl’s belly began to swell. However, reportedly, her doctors said it was just a product of her mononucleosis.

In the spring of 2016, as the girl’s mother was giving her a bath, she noticed the child’s right side was protruding. An X-ray revealed that abnormalities within the girl’s abdomen were leading to her intestines being pushed down. The results of the X-ray led to the girl undergoing a CT scan. The CT scan showed that she had a tumor the size of a cantaloupe on her adrenal gland. The tumor was diagnosed as metastatic neuroblastoma, which is described in the article as an aggressive form of cancer.

Following the diagnosis, the little girl underwent chemotherapy to shrink the tumor enough for her to undergo surgery. Surgeons removed the tumor. After surgery, the girl had more chemotherapy, had to have two hematomas drained and underwent the first of two planned stem cell treatments. After her first stem cell treatment, the girl suffered heart failure, but she survived and is currently awaiting her second stem cell treatment.

We Have the Dedication It Takes to Prove Negligence in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

As a Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney Dan Jeck explains in this video, uncovering the truth about what led to a victim’s injury or death takes a great deal of experience, focus and dedication.

Our Philadelphia personal injury law firm has secured several multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements for clients, including $15 million for an 8-year-old boy who suffered permanent kidney damage due to medical malpractice.

Daniel Jeck | Personal Injury Attorney
Author: Daniel Jeck | Personal Injury Attorney

With over 33 years of courtroom experience, shareholder and senior litigator at Eisenberg Winkler Jeck Schwartz Schoenhaus & Sherry, Daniel Jeck knows what it takes to win big. He has successfully litigated and tried complex medical malpractice and other catastrophic injury cases, including construction accidents, and products liability cases to verdict for over three decades. He has had a multitude of six, seven and eight figure verdicts and settlements dating back to the early 1990’s. Mr. Jeck is also leader of the Plaintiff’s trial bar in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, is active in legislative efforts across the Commonwealth to keep our courts open and fair to all and is a recent president of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. A Pennsylvania native born in Philadelphia, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. from Temple University School of Law. Mr. Jeck focuses his practice on complex medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury cases. He continues to personally handle and tries cases in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.