A Permian Basin man has filed a lawsuit against a Midland doctor claiming he failed to diagnose his prostate cancer for three years despite seeing him regularly.
According to the lawsuit, filed June 3 in Ector County District Court, Charles Bishop was admitted to a hospital in May 2018 for acute renal failure and urinary retention. Blood work showed his PSA or prostate-specific antigen was at 91 ng/mL, a “severely abnormal level.”
The lawsuit, which was filed by the Hastings Law Firm in The Woodlands, states Dr. Jonathan Nelson of West Texas Urology, was consulted and he recommended Bishop come to him for follow up appointments upon his release from the lawsuit.
The attorneys allege Bishop continued to be treated regularly for the next three years, but no additional blood work or tests were ordered to reassess his PSA level. On July 26, 2021, Bishop was sent to the hospital by Nelson because Bishop was lethargic, feverish and had the chills.
“While at the hospital, lab work was ordered showing a PSA of 657. Further testing was done and (Bishop) was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic prostate cancer,” the lawsuit stated.
Bishop and his wife, Carolyn, are seeking more than $1 million in relief, stating Nelson “was negligent in failing to properly monitor, assess, diagnose and/or treat the prostate cancer” and as a result it progressed to Stage IV.
Attempts to reach Nelson and West Texas Urology were unsuccessful Monday.
