Cancer doesn’t care if you are healthy or unfit. It attacks without prejudice, devastating an uncountable number of lives. Some cancers occur in all genders, while others occur only in men or women.
For example, men can develop prostate cancer, but women don’t have a prostate gland, making them immune. Prostate cancer has a high survivability rate, but early diagnosis is vital to the patient’s prognosis and quality of life.
Is it hard to diagnose?
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in U.S. males. Due to advanced imaging technology (MRIs, CT scans, etc.), medical professionals have many diagnostic tools for detecting prostate cancer. However, since the illness resembles other ailments, mostly benign, it complicates the diagnostic process.
Even if you get an early medical evaluation, a physician could mistake your cancer for a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostate cancer and BPH share the following symptoms.
- Blood in urine
- Urinating frequently
- Trouble getting an erection
- Problems starting a urine stream
One symptom of prostate cancer that doesn’t typically occur in BPH is pain in the chest, back and hips. If you receive a BPH diagnosis but are experiencing pain in these areas, it is wise to seek additional testing and perhaps a second medical opinion.
Is misdiagnosis grounds for medical malpractice?
Medical professionals are as prone to errors as anyone else, but they have a special duty to investigate the symptoms patients report as thoroughly as possible. Patients have the right to seek a remedy when their care providers fail in this duty and they suffer harm as a result.
A successful medical malpractice claim helps victims obtain financial compensation for the negligent harm. To get started, seek more information about filing a claim under Georgia law.
