How Medical Malpractice Claim May Follow A Delayed Diagnosis Of Colon Cancer
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-11-02 02:43:48 | Word Count: 963
The very use of the term "colon cancer" tends to raise dread in nearly all of us. It can thus feel quite reassuring to hear your doctor tell you that you just have hemorrhoids and there is no need to worry about the blood in your stool. Yet this reassurance should not be given until the physician has ruled out the possibility of colon cancer (and other potentially serious gastrointestinal issues). Else, you might not find out that you have colon cancer before it is too late. Should a doctor conclude without testing assumes that complaints of blood in the stool or rectal bleeding by a patient are from hemorrhoids and it subsequently is discovered that the patient had colon cancer all along, that physician may have committed medical malpractice and the patient may be able to pursue a lawsuit against that doctor.
It is generally thought that there are currently over 10 million men and women with hemorrhoids. An additional million new cases of hemorrhoids will likely occur this year. In comparison, a little more than the 100 thousand new incidents of colon cancer that will be diagnosed this year. In addition, colon cancers do not always. In the event that they do, the bleeding could be intermittent. Also depending on the location of the cancer in the colon, the blood might not even be apparent in the stool. Possibly it is in part because of the difference in the quantity of instances being diagnosed that a number of doctors just assume that the presence of blood in the stool or rectal bleeding is because of hemorrhoids. This is gambling, pure and simple. A physician who reaches this conclusion will be right more than ninety percent of the time. It sounds realistic, right? The concern, though, is that if the physician is inaccurate in this diagnosis, the patient might not discover he or she has colon cancer until it has progressed to a late stage, maybe even to the point where it is no longer treatable.
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In the event colon cancer is found while still contained within the colon, the individual's chances of surviving the cancer are over 80%. The 5 year survival rate is a statistical guage of the percentage of individuals who are still alive a minimum of five years after diagnosis. Treatment protocols for early stage colon cancer generally entails just surgery in order to remove the tumor and surrounding portions of the colon. Based on variables including the stage of the cancer and the patient's medical history (including family medical history), how old the person is, and the individual's physical condition, chemotherapy may or may not be necessary.
This is why physicians commonly recommend that a colonoscopy ought to be done immediately if a patient has blood in the stool or rectal bleeding. A colonoscopy is a procedure that uses a flexible scope with a camera on the end is employed to examine the interior of the colon. Should anything be discovered during the procedure, it may be possible to remove it immediately if it is not very large. In any case, it will be biopsied to check for cancer. Colon cancer may effectively be eliminated as the cause of the blood only if a colonoscopy locates no cancer
But, if the cancer is diagnosed after it has spread outside of the colon into the lymph nodes, the person's 5 year survival rate will generally be roughly fifty three percent Aside from surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding areas of the colon treatment for this stage of colon cancer entails chemotherapy in an effort to eliminate any cancer that might remain in the body. If the cancer spreads to distant organs like the liver, lungs, or brain, the person's five year survival rate is reduced to near eight percent. If treatment options exist for a patient at this stage, they may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other medications. Treatment may or may not still be helpful the moment the cancer is this advanced. When treatment stops being effective, colon cancer is fatal. This year, around 48,000 people will pass away in the U.S. from colon cancer metastasis.
By diagnosing complaints of blood in the stool or rectal bleeding as resulting from hemorrhoids while not doing the correct tests to eliminate the possibility of colon cancer, a doctor puts the patient at risk of not learning he or she has colon cancer until it progresses to an advanced, possibly untreatable, stage. This might amount to a departure from the accepted standard of medical care and might end in a medical malpractice claim.
If you or a a member of your family were assured by a physician that blood in the stool or rectal bleeding were caused by only hemorrhoids, and were later diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, you ought to speak to a lawyer immediately. This article is for basic educational usage only and does not constitute legal (or medical) advice. For any medical concerns you should consult with a physician. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based upon any information contained herein but ought to rather seek professional legal counsel. A competent lawyer who is experienced in medical malpractice may be able to help you determine should you have a claim for a delay in the diagnosis of the colon cancer. Immediately contact an attorney are there is a time limit in cases like these.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting cancer cases. For information on coloncancer and other cancer cases including stage 4 breast cancer visit the website
