A delay in diagnosis of cancer occurs when the cancer could have been detected at an earlier stage, and a physician or other healthcare provider failed to timely perform a test, or, perform another procedure, like a biopsy, that could have resulted in an early diagnosis. The failure to diagnose is also a form of medical negligence that results when a physician or other medical provider fails to properly diagnose a patient, based upon symptoms, complaints and test results that consequently prolongs the diagnosis of a patient's actual cancer. In both cases, the patient may be harmed as a result of being diagnosed at a later stage, which often carries with it more invasive and complex treatment, and possibly a worse prognosis.