Why Malpractice Lawsuits May Arise If Metastatic Prostate Cancer Is Because Of Holdup From Watchful

There are tests that allow the detection of some types of cancers, for example prostate cancer, prior to the time the patient presents with symptoms. The idea is to detect the cancer early - before it is able to spread while treatment is likely to cure the cancer instead of waiting until the cancer advances and spreads and is no longer curable. The first is a physical examination of the prostate gland for any abnormalities that could be due to prostate cancer. The other test is the PSA blood test which measures the amount of prostate specific antigen in the bloodstream. A PSA greater than 4. ng/ml is generally thought to be abnormal. Since prostate cancer raises the PSA level as the prostate cancer advances doctors normally recommend a biopsy if the PSA test registers high.



Raised PSA test results can, however, be caused by variables different from cancer, such as inflammation of the prostate or infection. Such high PSA readings are classified as "false positives." A biopsy has risks, like the risk of infection and the danger of significant bleeding. Given these two issues some doctors advise that men follow a strategy of "watchful waiting." With this strategy the physician monitors the man's raised PSA during a time spanning of months or years. They might additionally suggest going on medication for infection to check whether the treatment lowers the PSA back to normal levels.



The threat with this method is that the doctor might wait too long before doing any additional tests to determine whether the high PSA level is due to prostate cancer. As the PSA increases the likelihood increases that the rising levels are from prostate cancer, as does the likelihood that the cancer has metastasized. Men with prostate cancer who have a PSA concentration lower than 10 ng/mL have between 70 to 80 percent possibility of having organ-confined disease, as opposed to 50% for patients with PSA levels 10 to 50 ng/mL, and only twenty five percent with higher PSA levels



If the prostate cancer is not detected until it has spread outside the capsule, a patient has about a 50% possibility that the cancer will progress. If the cancer metastaisizes to the bone or to distant organs before of diagnosis, the patient typically has only a 2-3 year life expectancy. Treatment possibilities might include hormone therapy, radiation therapy, orchiectomy (taking out the testicles), and possibly chemotherapy. In time, treatment may cease to be effective and the cancer will again continue to advanced. Once the treatment no longer works, the cancer again starts spreading and eventually kills the man. As of the time this article was written roughly 90,000 men each year are going to pass away in the U.S. from prostate cancer metastasis.



How many of these 90,000 deaths will be because of a doctor counseling the manhis patient to stick to a plan of "watchful waiting" and then waiting too long to finally diagnose the cancer? We might never know how many of these deaths could have been prevented had the physician recommended the patient get a biopsy.



However, if you or a member of your family were among those whose doctor delayed the diagnosis of prostate cancer until it was at an advanced stage, you should consult with a competent medical malpractice attorney right away. The physician may be liable under a medical malpractice claim.



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