The plaintiff, Marguerite Alexander, alleged that Dr. Jerrold H. Seckler took no action in response to the results of a CT scan in 2006 of John Alexander's abdomen and pelvis, which showed two enlarged lymph nodes, and that he did not respond in 2007, when a scan showed that the mass had grown, said David A. Axelrod of David A. Axelrod & Associates P.C., who represented the plaintiff. Alexander was seeing the urologist for a check-up. Alexander was initially referred to Seckler in 2002, when the urologist removed the patient's bladder and prostate after a cystoscopy indicated that he had cancer.

By July 2008, pain in Alexander's hip sent him to the emergency unit of Northwest Community Hospital, where a third CT scan showed that the pelvic mass had grown to 11 centimeters and had metastasized to the bone, Axelrod said. He was subsequently diagnosed with recurrent bladder cancer, underwent numerous episodes of chemotherapy and radiation, and died at age 65 on Oct. 17, 2009.

John M. Stalmack of Bollinger, Ruberry & Garvey represented the urologist and his group, UroCare LLC.

Cook County Associate Judge Randye A. Kogan approved the settlement on April 15.

The case is Marguerite Alexander v. Jerrold H. Seckler M.D., et al., No. 09 L 5191.