Monday, October 3, 2011

When Misdiagnosed As Hemorrhoids by a Doctor May Result in Medical Malpractice - Overview

By Darren Kenzo Ang


Patient: "Doctor, I'm seeing blood in my stool when I go towards the bathroom."

Physician: "Don't be concerned about it, you in all probability just have hemorrhoids."

Tragically, a year or two later this patient learns that the bleeding was truly brought on by a cancerous tumor inside the colon. He or she now has advanced colon cancer that has spread towards the lymph nodes or even to a distant organ, like the liver or the lungs.

Doctors typically advocate that if an individual has rectal bleeding or blood within the stool, testing need to be performed to rule out the possibility of cancer within the colon. The test that's most typically performed to rule out cancer is referred to as a colonoscopy, which entails the use of a flexible tube having a camera on the finish to visualize the inside with the colon. If growths (polyps or tumors) are located, they are able to be sampled (by biopsy) and possibly removed throughout the process. The samples (biopsies) are then examined for the presence of cancer. If no cancer is discovered, then it can usually be ruled out as a source with the blood. However, all too frequently, an individual's physician will basically attribute the blood to hemorrhoids with no referring the individual to a specialist (a gastroenterologist) and with no ordering any testing, including a colonoscopy, to rule out cancer.

Colon cancer is often a illness that progresses more than time. As the cancer advances it becomes much more hard to treat effectively. By way of example, when the illness is in stage 1 or stage two, it's nonetheless contained inside the wall with the colon. Remedy for these stages typically entails surgery to get rid of the tumor and surrounding parts with the colon. Chemotherapy is frequently not typically component with the remedy of stage 1 and stage two cancer within the colon unless it truly is given to an individual who's young as a preventative measure. With remedy, the individual with stage 1 or stage two cancer within the colon has an exceptional likelihood of surviving the illness for a minimum of 5 years following diagnosis. The relative 5-year survival rate is more than 90% for stage 1 and 73% for stage two.

By the time the colon cancer progresses to stage three, it has spread outside the colon and therapy demands each surgery and chemotherapy (possibly with other cancer affecting drugs too). The relative 5-year survival rate for stage three colon cancer is 53%. If the cancer progress to stage four, the relative 5-year survival rate is decreased to roughly 8%. Remedies for instance surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, along with other medicines may possibly or may possibly not nonetheless be helpful. When therapy is no longer efficient, the illness is fatal. Roughly 48,000 folks will die inside the U.S. from colon cancer this year alone.

It truly is as a result vital that cancer within the colon be diagnosed as early as doable. Regrettably, all too generally doctors just assume that blood within the stool or rectal bleeding may be the result of hemorrhoids, even immediately after various complaints by the patient. As opposed to referring the patient to a specialist (a gastroenterologist) or ordering tests, for example a colonoscopy, to rule out cancer, they tell the patient that there is certainly absolutely nothing to be concerned about. If the patient did have colon cancer and it's not detected until 1 or two years later, it may possibly progress to a stage three or perhaps a stage four by the time of diagnosis.

At this point, the cancer may well be substantially far more advanced than it was in the time the patient complained of rectal bleeding or blood within the stool. Consequently, the patient now has a a lot decreased likelihood of surviving the cancer. Below such circumstances, the failure of a physician to rule out cancer within the colon in the time with the patient's complaints could constitute a departure from the accepted regular of medical care resulting in a medical malpractice claim.

Get in touch with a Lawyer Currently

You must get in touch with a lawyer instantly in the event you or perhaps a family members member have been diagnosed with advanced colon cancer immediately after getting complaints of rectal bleeding or blood within the stool ignored by a physician. This post is for informational purposes only and isn't intended to be legal (or medical) guidance.

You need to not act, or refrain from acting, based upon any data at this net website without having searching for specialist legal counsel. A competent lawyer with encounter in medical malpractice can help you in determining no matter if you might have a claim for the delay inside the diagnosis with the cancer. There is certainly a time limit in circumstances like these so don't wait to call.




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