You will see how factors such as tumour biology, treatment responsiveness, and the timing of systemic therapies are used to support or undermine the argument that earlier intervention would have made a difference.

The session will also explore how “loss of chance” is approached in practice, including how counterfactual pathways are constructed and where these arguments tend to break down under scrutiny.

You will gain a more practical understanding of how prognosis, recurrence risk, and long-term outcomes are evidenced, and how these feed into both liability and quantum.

Crucially, it will highlight where expert opinion diverges, what separates stronger from weaker claims, and which aspects of the oncology evidence carry the greatest weight when advancing or defending a case.

This session will help you to:

• Assess when diagnostic delay is likely to have materially impacted stage progression or treatment options
• Interpret how oncologists evaluate treatment decisions in breach of duty disputes
• Analyse “missed window” and loss of chance arguments within breast cancer pathways
• Understand how causation is constructed, including how counterfactual outcomes are tested
• Evaluate prognosis, recurrence risk, and long-term outcomes in the context of quantum
• Identify common weaknesses and pressure points in oncological evidence