Background: Factors that prompt litigation and influence outcomes for malpractice cases involving cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract are incompletely described.
Methods: Westlaw, a national legal database, was searched for medical malpractice claims related to upper aerodigestive tract cancer for all years available.
Results: Of the 122 cases meeting inclusion criteria, 106 (86.9%) involved allegations of failure to diagnose or delay in diagnosis. Tongue, larynx, and nasopharynx cancers were more frequently litigated than would be expected based on their incidence (tongue, 38.7% of aerodigestive tract litigation vs. 26.9% of aerodigestive tract cancers; larynx, 33.0% vs. 22.3%; nasopharynx, 10.4% vs. 4.6%). Payouts were made in over half of diagnosis failure lawsuits (56.6%), which carried an average award of $2840690 [IQR 850219-2537509].
Conclusions: An awareness of litigation on cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract holds the potential to improve patient care and help otolaryngologists avoid potential risks for litigation.
Keywords: Westlaw; delayed diagnosis; head and neck cancer; medical malpractice; upper aerodigestive tract.
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