subject: When Doctors Do Not Follow Up After Psa Results Indicate The Possibility Of Prostate Cancer [print this page] Men frequently possess a lack of comprehension of prostate cancer, their own risk for the cancer, and how to determine if they have prostate cancer. Many male patients are not aware of what it means to screen for prostate cancer or that screening should be conducted before they manifest symptoms. But, far too often, doctors diagnose the cancer only after it is past the early stages due to deficient of screening.
There are several various circumstances that can result in a delayed diagnosis. This article will analyze the following pattern: the doctor (1) screens the individual for prostate cancer by following the amount of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) in his bloodstream, (2) learns that the patient has an elevated PSA level, however (3) neither informs the patient of abnormal results (and what they indicate) nor orders diagnostic tests, like a biopsy, to eliminate prostate cancer. The lawsuit below is an example of this situation.
A doctor, an internist, found that his male patient had a PSA of 8. (anything above a 4.0 is ordinarily viewed as high). The physician did not inform the patient. The physician failed to refer the patient to a urologist. The doctor did not order a biopsy. Two years later the physician repeated the test. This time the level had gone up to 13.6. Again, the physician did not inform the patient. Again, the physician did not refer the patient to a urologist. And again, the physician did not order a biopsy. Two years later the doctor repeated the test. It was not until three years after first finding out about the patient's raised level that the doctor at last advised him that he most likely had cancer. By the time he was diagnosed he had advanced prostate cancer and surgery was not among the treatment options. Treating doctors instead recommended radiation therapy and hormone therapy. Neither of these would eliminate the cancer but they might slow the cancer's advancement and additional spread. The law firm that handled this matter reported that they took the claim to mediation where they achieved a settlement of $600,000.
However not following up after observing abnormal test results results in a situation in which those patients who do actually have prostate cancer may not discover they have it until it has spread beyond the prostate, limiting the patient's options for treatment, and substantially lessening the likelihood that the patient will be able to survive the cancer.
This claim illustrates a type of mistake that can lead to the delayed diagnosis of a patient's prostate cancer. It happens when the doctor actually follows the guidelines and screens male patients for prostate cancer however does not follow through when the test results are abnormal.
by: Joseph Hernandez
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