$600,000 Settlement After Doctor Failed To Notify PatientTests Showed Possibility Of Prostate Cancer

Male patients tend to have a scant awareness of prostate cancer, their own chances for the cancer,and the methods available for detecting whether they have prostate cancer. Most male patients arenot aware of what it means to screen for prostate cancer or that screening needs to be done beforethey begin to show symptoms. Yet, far too often, physicians detect the cancer only after it is past theearly stages because of deficient of screening.

There are several different circumstances that may result in a delayed diagnosis. This article willconsider the following pattern: the doctor (1) orders a PSA blood test, (2) finds that the man has ahigh PSA level, but (3) fails to inform the patient, does not refer the patient to a specialist, and failsto get a biopsy to confirm whether the elevated PSA is due to prostate cancer. The case belowillustrates this situation.

A physician, an internist, found that his male patient had a PSA of 8. (anything above a 4.0 isgenerally viewed as high). The doctor said nothing to the patient. The physician did not refer thepatient to a specialist. The doctor failed to order a biopsy. Two years later the physician repeatedthe PSA test. This time the PSA level had gone up to 13.6. Again, the physician did not inform thepatient. Again, the doctor did not refer the patient to a urologist. And again, the physician did notorder a biopsy. Two years later the doctor repeated the PSA test. It was not until three years afterfirst knowing about the patient's raised PSA level that the physician finally advised him that he mostlikely had cancer. By the time he was diagnosed he had metastatic prostate cancer and surgery wasnot among the treatment options. Treating doctors alternatively recommended radiation therapy andhormone therapy. Neither of these would eliminate the cancer but they might slow the cancer'sadvancement and additional spread. The law firm that handled this matter reported that they tookthe lawsuit to mediation where they were able to obtain a settlement of $600,000.

But not following up after noting abnormal test results brings about a situation in which thosepatients who do in fact have prostate cancer may not discover they have it until it has spread outsidethe prostate, restricting the patient's choices for treatment, and substantially decreasing thepossibility that the patient will be able to survive the cancer.

This lawsuit illustrates a sort of error that can lead to the delayed diagnosis of a patient's prostatecancer. It comes about when the doctor actually follows the guidelines and screens male patients forprostate cancer yet does not follow through when the test results are abnormal.

By: J. Hernandez

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Joseph Hernandez is an attorney accepting medical malpractice cases. To learn about prostatecancer and other cancer matters including metastatic colon cancer visit the websites

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