Ignored High PSA Might Give Rise To Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
The PSA is a blood test administered by doctors to test asymptomatic men for prostate cancer. A high or quickly rising PSA may indicate that the patient may have prostate cancer. These types of results thus ordinarily lead to more testing, like a biopsy, to determine if the patient really has cancer. You will find, however, 2 principal issues with a biopsy. First a biopsy checks only a part of the prostate. Therefore the a biopsy may yield a false negative and not catch the cancer. Second, biopsies have risks, including the danger of infection and the threat of severe bleeding.
Concern about these two issues seems to motivate certain physicians to advise that men who have an elevated PSA follow a program of “watchful waiting.” This is an approach by which the physician periodically monitors the man’s high PSA over a period of months or years. In this time a number of physicians advise that the patient try non cancer related treatments, for instance, for infection, based on the possibility that if the PSA is elevatedhigh because of an underlying reason rather than prostate cancer such treatments might return the PSA back to normal levels.
The problem is that the physician might too much time go by prior to recommending a biopsy. The more time that passes while the PSA increases the chance increases that the rising levels are due to prostate cancer, as does the chance that the cancer will spread beyond the prostate resulting in a finding of stage 4 prostate cancer. Should a physician, by advocating that the man wait instead of immediately undergoing diagnostic testing, causes a situation where the cancer spreads and achieves metastasis, a a lawyer who handles cancer malpractice cases can assist you determine whether you might be able to successfully pursue medical malpractice lawsuit against that doctor.
The above is simply general information that is commonly available and is intended for basic educational purposes only. The above should not be taken as medical advice. Check with with a doctor if you have any health related problems and before taking any medical advice. In addition, the above is also not legal advice. Check with a lawyer concerning any potential legal issues.
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