If Colon Cancer Screening Guidelines Are Not Followed There May Be A Delay In Diagnosis

The second greatest number of cancer deaths is from colon cancer.

. Every year, roughly forty eight thousand men and women will pass away because of colon cancer. A large number of these deaths could be prevented with early diagnosis and treatment by standard colon cancer testing of asymptomatic men and women.

When the disease is located while it is still a small polyp while undergoing a routine screening test, for example, a colonoscopy, the polyp may be able to be taken out during the colonoscopy. At this point, there is no requirement for the surgical removal of any segment of the colon. If,however, the polyp grows into a tumor and reaches Stage 1 or Stage 2, the tumor and a portion of the colon on both sides is surgical taken out. The likelihood that the individual will survive the cancer is over ninety percent for Stage I and 73% for Stage 2.

When the disease reaches a Stage III, a colon resection is not enough and the patient also needs to undergo chemotherapy. The relative 5-year survival rate is reduced to fifty three percent, depending on such variables as the quantity of lymph nodes that have cancer.

By the time the colon cancer metastasizes, treatment may necessitate chemotherapy and possibly additional drugs and even surgery on other organs. Should the measurement and quantity of tumors in different organs (like the liver and lungs) are small enough, surgery on these organs might be the first treatment, followed by chemotherapy. In some cases the size or number of tumors in the other organs removes the possibility of surgery as part of the treatment.

If chemotherapy and additional drugs can reduce the quantity and dimensions of these tumors, surgery may then become an option as the follow up treatment. If not, chemotherapy and various drugs (possibly from clinical trials) may temporarily stop or lessen the continued spread of the cancer. With metastasis the individual's possibility of surviving the cancer for greater than 5 years after diagnosis falls to approximately 8%.

As the relative 5-year survival rates indicate, the time frame when the colon cancer is found and treated makes a significant difference. If discovered and treated early, the individual has an excellent chance of outliving the cancer. When detection and treatment is delayed, the odds begin shifting from the person so that by the time the colon cancer reaches the lymph nodes, the percentage is almost 50/50. And the chances decrease precipitously when the cancer metastasizes.

But, all too often physicians do not suggest routine cancer screening to men and women who do not have symptoms. When the cancer is finally discovered - frequently since the tumor has become so large that it is leading to blockage, because the patient has inexplicable anemia that is getting progressively worse, or because the patient begins to notice other symptoms - the cancer is a Stage 3 or even a Stage 4. The individual now confronts a much different prognosis than he or she would have if the cancer had been found early by routine screening tests.

In medical malpractice terms, the individual has suffered a loss of chance of a better recovery. That is to say, because the doctor did not recommend that the person have a routine screening test, the cancer is now much more advanced and the person has a much lower chance of outliving the cancer. The failure of a doctor to recommend the patient have screening options for colon cancer may amount to medical malpractice.

Contact an attorney right away should you think your colon cancer was not diagnosed until it had already reached an advanced stage owing to a physician's failure to recommend routine colon cancer screening. This article is for general educational purposes only and should not be considered legal (or medical) advice. For any health issues, contact a doctor. Should you think you might have a medical malpractice claim you should seek professional legal counsel right away. A competent lawyer with experience in medical malpractice can assist determine if you have a claim for a delayed diagnosis colon cancer from a failure on the part of a doctor to recommend colon cancer screening. There is a time limit in cases like these so do not wait to call an attorney.

by: Joseph Hernandez

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