It is very difficult things for families to comprehend is the idea that multiple physicians may, over the course of several years, misdiagnose a family member’s cancer. It is even more difficult to grasp how specialists can not discover the cancer. But this does happen. Consider, for example, the following documented matter.

In this case a forty eight year old married male with children started treating with a family doctor. Ten years later the doctor performed a sigmoidoscopy on the man and made an entry in his records indicating that he found a ridge which was bleeding. Due to of this finding, the physician referred the man to a second physician who in turn also did a sigmoidoscopy. This physician also found the ridge and biopsied it. After 7 months this second physician performed a full colonoscopy which uncovered a polyploid ring measuring approximately two centimeters. A part of this polyp was taken out and cauterized. Multiple samples of the polyp were taken. A biopsy of the specimens found atypical cells and concluded that it was unknown whether the full polyp had been taken out.

The following year this second doctor performed a barium enema. The physician listed the results as normal apart from minor diverticulosis. The physician advised that the man return for a follow-up colonoscopy in three years with no other follow-up needed.

After another 2 years the patient sought a third doctor and requested another sigmoidoscopy. This third physician documented inflammation and bleeding. Unfortunately, this doctor failed to biopsy the area or perform any further evaluation or treatment of the inflamed spot. Instead, this doctor suggested that the patient undergo another sigmoidoscopy after a few years.

The following year, the patient went back to third doctor. This time the man complained of rectal bleeding. The physician did a rectal examination accompanied by an anoscopy but he failed to do any additional evaluation even after the patient again reported rectal bleeding later that year. Following still one more year, the patient reported several weeks of constipation and abdominal pain. The physician prescribed a dietary supplement and stool softener to treat the symptoms however did no more evaluations to determine the reason for these changes. A brief while later the man felt extreme abdominal pain and took himself to the ER where it was found that he had blockage. Biopsies of the rectum were suggestive of cancer. The patient underwent a further sigmoidoscopy a month later which found cancer.

Because of the size and location of the cancer the man was started on chemotherapy and radiation therapy before getting surgery. During surgery his rectum was taken out and several tumors were discovered in his liver. After awhile, the liver tumors got larger and there was further spread of the cancer to his lungs. The man ultimately died from the cancer.

The law firm that represented the family with their claim announced that the the family was able to recover $825,000 in a settlement with the doctors. This lawsuit illustrates the value of close monitoring of patients with a history of symptoms and the importance of decently diagnosing the cause of those symptoms. Because cancer can spread and in time become incurable whe there is a delay in diagnosis, treatment and an accurate and early diagnosis is essential. Anything else can lead to a tragic outcome.