Cancer is a leading cause of deaths in the United States. Even when patients survive cancer, the treatment process can be invasive and debilitating. Generally speaking, the earlier that patients begin treatment for cancer, the better their prognosis.
People dealing with challenging symptoms may reach out to health care providers in pursuit of a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. In some cases, those with serious melodies, including cancer, do not receive a timely diagnosis. Instead, doctors turn them away without diagnosing them or reach the wrong conclusion regarding what actually caused their symptoms.
How can trained health care professionals make mistakes when diagnosing a patient’s cancer?
Cancer develops slowly
One of the reasons that people need professionals to properly diagnose cancer is that cancer starts small. For many people, cancer begins with a few cells developing in certain tissues.
The cancer then grows within that tissue and eventually spreads to other parts of the body. The process of cancer spreading to other tissue alters the patient’s care needs. Once cancer metastasizes, treating it becomes much more difficult.
Unfortunately, accurately diagnosing cancer in the early stages may require specific imaging tests or testing of blood or tissue samples. If doctors don’t order the right tests, they can reach the wrong diagnostic conclusion.
Cancer symptoms are generic
Doctors overlook cancer in some cases because the early symptoms are mild. A patient may have unexplained weight loss or weight gain. They may have a profound sense of fatigue or generalized pain. Coughs, rashes and headaches are all among the early warning signs of various types of cancer.
If doctors do not properly follow diagnostic procedures, they might reach an inaccurate conclusion regarding the underlying cause of those symptoms. Doctors might blame a viral infection for a cough or chronic stress for weight loss or gain.
Instead of rushing to a conclusion, doctors should rule out serious conditions or seek an affirmative diagnosis by validating the presence of certain pathogens. The failure to follow appropriate diagnostic procedures can result in a significant delay in the diagnosis of cancer. The patient may then be at a later stage of cancer development, which may limit their treatment options and worsen their prognosis.
In some cases, the failure to diagnose cancer could be a form of medical malpractice. Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit may help patients cover their increased care costs and offset the long-term reduction in earning potential associated with invasive cancer treatment.