The Misdiagnosis of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is one of the third most common forms of cancer found today in both men and women. More than 100,000 cases of colon cancer are diagnoses everyday. Many times these begin as abnormal cells and if these cells are found early enough, the chance of survival improves greatly. The earlier colon cancer is detected, the easier it becomes to both treat and diagnose. Early detection is the key to survival.

Early Detection Helps Prevent Misdiagnosis

Sometimes in the medical community, doctors become so overwhelmed that they may become lax in diagnosing illnesses. Doctors are human and therefore errors can occur, but when they are dealing with the life of another human being, they must be diligent and cautious as a misdiagnosis could cost someone their life. It is very easy to jump to the wrong conclusions when dealing with a patient, and the types of symptoms they are presenting. Early detection is the key to battling this disease as well as proper nutrition and treatment. Unfortunately, this form of cancer happens to be among the most commonly misdiagnosed. Obviously, misdiagnosis can be detrimental and cause great discomfort, suffering and even death to a patient.

Common Misdiagnoses

There are several different forms of misdiagnosis. Some of the more common are as follows:

• Late Diagnosis – Colon cancer is diagnosed as an entirely different illness or early symptoms are missed. As time goes by the further the disease progresses, thereby causing the cancer to get worse and possibly even spread to other parts of the body.

• Undetected Diagnosis – Doctors do not identify the symptoms as being that of colon cancer and do not perform the proper tests that should be done to detect colon cancer.

• Incorrect Diagnosis – Doctors mistake the symptoms of colon cancer for something totally different and treat the patient for a nonexistent illness. Sometimes doctors even give people a diagnosis of colon cancer when, in fact, there is no cancer present at all.

If colon cancer is left undetected and untreated, the results could be deadly. It is very important to a patient’s well being to receive appropriate diagnoses no matter what the ailment may be. With colon cancer it is all the more serious as this illness when left to progress can lead to the patient’s demise.

If you or a loved one has been misdiagnosed with colon cancer or have received the wrong diagnosis, you have rights. Speak to an attorney and find out what your options are. The doctor/doctors responsible for this great error could be held accountable. It is quite possible that a patient or family member may choose to file a malpractice lawsuit to help pay medical bills, make up for the loss in wages or even cover funeral costs for a patient who has passed away due to the misdiagnosis. While receiving a settlement will not take away any of the pain you or your family members may have endured, it will take away from the added stress of having to cover all the monetary costs caused by the mistake of a medical professional.