subject: Man Tells 3 Doctors About His Symptoms But Doctors Go For Years Without Diagnosing His Prostate Cancer [print this page] Man Tells 3 Doctors About His Symptoms But Doctors Go For Years Without Diagnosing His Prostate Cancer
Many of us have had the experience of consulting more than one doctor regarding a health problem just to learn that the doctors consulted have different opinnions and different recommendations. Any time a an incorrect diagnosis could literally mean the difference between life and death this could present a serious problem for the patient. If the patient is made aware of each physician's conclusions and the rationale behind those conclusions the at least the patient can make an informed decision based on his or her level of risk tolerance. Hence when a physician has information or reaches a conclusion that the patient needs immediate follow up or treatment it is important for that physician to inform the patient and possibly also at least the patient's primary care physician.
One such situation happened in the following reported case. Several physicians had a chance to diagnose the male patient's prostate cancer before it spread The patient first went to his primary care physician, a general practitioner, with urinary problems at 56 years old age. The family doctor thought that the patient's problems were not a result of cancer. Therefore, the physician did not order any diagnostic testing, like a biopsy and failed to refer the patient to a urologist.
The man, on his own, saw a urologist 10 months later. The urologist conducted a physical examination of the prostate and ordered a PSA blood test. The individual then discovered that the urologist was not approved by his insurance and he saw a different urologist who was approved.
The PSA test ordered by the first urologist came back and that urologist advised a biopsy. Unfortunately, that recommendation apparently was not related to the PCP or the urologist approved by the insurance company. The second urologist decided that the examination of the prostate was normal and that there was no evidence of cancer.
As such the cancer was not detected for 2 years at which time it had spread beyond the prostate. By that time, the cancer had spread beyond the prostate and had metastasized. Had the cancer been detected at the time the patient initially complained of urinary problems, when he saw the first urologist, or even when he saw the second urologist, it would not have yet spread and, with treatment, the patient would have had roughly 97% prospect of surviving the cancer. Given that the cancer was already advanced , however, the patient was not expected to live more than five years. The law firm that helped the patient published that the resulting medical malpractice case settled for $2,500,000.
As the lawsuit described above illustrates, having several physicians for the same issue might result in multiple mistakes. The first error consisted of not following the screening guidelines. This was an error committed by both the primary care physician as well as the second urologist. The other mistake was one in communication. This occurred when there was a miscommunication of the findings, suspicions, and advice of the urologist who was outside the insurance network and the other doctors. While it is impossible to know whether the general practitioner or the second urologist would have followed up on results of the PSA test from the first urologist or on that urologist's suspicion and recommendation they at a minimum would have had information and perspective they were missing.
