Doctor Lets Three Years Pass Without Indicating To Man He Could Have Prostate Cancer
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-06-27 16:36:24 | Word Count: 577
Men are likely to have a bad understanding of prostate cancer, their own chances for the cancer, and the ways in which they can figure out whether they have prostate cancer. Many men have modest, if any, idea of the worth of testing for prostate cancer or of the guidelines for when to begin screening, how frequently to screen, and the meaning of screening test results. But, far too often, physicians diagnose the cancer only after it is past the early stages as a consequence of a lack of screening.
Delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer incidents are all too common. This article will look at the following pattern: the doctor (1) orders a PSA blood test, (2) notes abnormally raised levels of PSA and but (3) neither informs the patient about the abnormal results (and what they mean) nor orders diagnostic tests, for instance a biopsy, to eliminate prostate cancer. Consider the following lawsuit, for instance:
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A physician, an internist, discovered that his male patient had a PSA of 8. (anything above a 4.0 is normally deemed to be high). The doctor did not tell the patient. The physician failed to refer the patient to a specialist. The physician failed to order a biopsy. Two years later the physician repeated the PSA test. This time the PSA level had risen to 13.6. Again, the doctor said nothing to the patient. Again, the doctor did not refer the patient to a urologist. And again, the doctor did not order a biopsy. Two years later the doctor repeated the PSA test. It was not until three years after first finding out about the patient's heightened PSA level that the doctor finally told him that he probably had cancer. By the time he was diagnosed he had advanced prostate cancer and surgery was not one of the treatment options. Rather the patient underwent radiation therapy and hormone therapy in an attempt to delay the further progression of the cancer. The law firm handling this matter published that the claim proceeded to mediation and was resolved in the amount of $600,000.
When they do nothing after the screening tests results come back positive and the individual later learns that he had prostate cancer and that the lapse of time resulted in it spreading outside the prostate gland therefore limiting treatment possibilities and lowering his likelihood of surviving the cancer, the person may have a claim for medical malpractice against the physician.
At a minimum a doctor who notes abnormal prostate cancer screening results ought to inform the patient of the possibility that he could have prostate cancer and refer the patient to a specialist. The physician can also advise diagnostic testing, such as a biopsy so as to discover if the abnormal screening test results are due to prostate cancer.
This case illustrates a kind of mistake that can result in the delayed diagnosis of a patient's prostate cancer. It comes about when the doctor actually follows the guidelines and screens male patients for prostate cancer but does not follow through when the test results are abnormal.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an attorney accepting cancer malpractice cases. To learn about metastatic prostate cancer and other cancer matters including stage 4 breast cancer visit the websites
