Most Common Causes of Cancer Misdiagnosis

Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Attorney Explains

Video Transcript: 

Tom Mustin: 

What are the most common causes of cancer misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis? We ask attorney Daniel Jeck in this Ask The Lawyers Quick Question.

Daniel Jeck: 

The common causes for delay in diagnosis of cancer are misreading of testing or a reluctance to do testing. So in any type of cancer... Most cancers, the earlier you make the diagnosis, the sooner you start treatment, the better the prognosis. Time is extremely, extremely important. For men and women with stomach cancer, it's why you need to get a colonoscopy. For women, it's why you need to have mammograms done at a regular basis. When I see cases involving delays in diagnosis of cancer, it's because the doctors are reluctant to push the testing that needs to be done, or there is a misread of a mammogram or a misread of something on a colonoscopy or endoscopy, and there is a failure to do a biopsy, failure to check out cells that are concerning, that are seen on some of these testing leading to a delay in diagnosing and a delay in treatment of cancer.

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