The impact of a cancer misdiagnosis

People in Lake Charles place a great deal of faith in the opinions offered by their doctors. There is a good reason behind this, as such professionals often have years of both experience and education to back up their claims. Yet even with their impressive backgrounds, doctors are just like everyone else in that they can have errors in judgment. Indeed, according to information shared by CBS News, doctors misdiagnose as many as 12 million American adults every year.

Perhaps even more frightening than this statistic is the fact that a serious disease like cancer often ranks among the most commonly misdiagnosed. It is easy to understand the danger in telling a person actually has cancer that she or he does not; even a diagnosis claiming cancer that is later proven incorrect can be damaging.

The toll taken by cancer treatment

Many of the treatments prescribed to help eliminate (or manage) cancer can easily exact a toll on a person’s body. Such treatments are purposefully intensive (and often, invasive), as the assumption is that aggressive cancer treatment is preferable to allowing the cancer to spread. Yet, it often results in issues with other bodily systems, causing sickness and physical deterioration. Misdiagnosis not only makes such suffering unnecessary, but potentially dangerous. Plus, going through the crucible of cancer treatment only to subsequently discover that one never had cancer in the first place can cause serious mental and emotional distress.

The dangers in delaying cancer treatment

Conversely, not diagnosing cancer when it is present can be even more dangerous. Successful treatment often depends on identifying cancer early and promptly beginning treatment. Every day without it offers cancer the opportunity to metastasize. Delayed treatment due to a misdiagnosis could result in actual detection too late to stop its spread, leaving one with few treatment options.

If, and when, one suffers from a cancer misdiagnosis, he or she may be justifiably upset at the clinicians it came from. Seeking compensation through legal action may not only help to ease pain and suffering, but also potentially prevent the same error from occurring with another patient.