The will need for screening even symptomatic patients for colon cancer when they're 50 or older and for testing patients who exhibit specific symptoms for instance blood inside the stool is commonly accepted within the medical community. A failure to do so may lead to a delay in the diagnosis of colon cancer which in turn may possibly allow the cancer to spread. Below we examine a documented case involving a woman more than the age of 50 whose doctors not simply failed to screen her when she was as symptomatic but continued to not test her even immediately after she developed a number of symptoms.
In this case the woman treated with her main care physician from the time she was 50 years old to the time she was 55. In the course of that time her medical history included obesity, a hernia and hypertension. Her physician, on the other hand, never ever performed or suggested that she undergo screening for colon cancer.
When she was 55 she experienced vomiting also as diarrhea with blood clearly visible in her stool. She went to the emergency room exactly where the attending physician diagnosed her as having gastroenteritis. She followed up using a physician some days later. This doctor created a note of the reality that she now had as much as 3 bowel movements each day, all of which contained a blood. The physician suggested a wait-and-see approach and believed that she would need to have a lower G.I. endoscopy if her condition did not strengthen. The doctor's differential diagnosis was for colitis. The physician apparently never considered colon cancer as component of the differential diagnosis. A year later she once more saw this physician complaining of abdominal concerns and at the very least 50 pounds of unexplained fat loss. The physician concluded that her weight-loss was the result of a change in her diet plan and even although she had a history of blood in her stools that physician again didn't order or carry out any tests to rule out colon cancer.
A month later the woman again goes to the hospital with complaints of discomfort in her abdomen and continuing diarrhea. Also, by now there was blood present when she vomited. Her stool was now a dark brown color and testing revealed blood present within the stool. The doctor at the emergency room diagnosed her as having a gastrointestinal bleed. The physician subsequent ordered an x-ray which revealed a partial obstruction of the bowel. The physician then admitted her to the hospital. Blood tests revealed that her CEA, a marker for colon cancer, was abnormally high.
Initially a gastroenterologist performed an upper G.I. endoscopy and took various biopsies. The gastroenterologist, nonetheless, failed to a colonoscopy. It was not until a covering physician at the hospital noted that her history was suggestive of cancer and that extra testing was required that a sigmoidoscopy was lastly performed roughly two weeks later. The sigmoidoscopy revealed a huge obstruction as well as a follow-up CAT scan showed a huge tumor. Throughout surgery it was found that her cancer had already spread to each her uterus and her bladder. Additionally the pathology report of the material removed during the surgery identified cancer in 13 lymph nodes. The diagnosis - stage IV colon cancer.
She commenced treatment with chemotherapy and immediately after experiencing intolerance for the chemotherapy along with bowel obstructions as well as renal failure, the woman died much less than a year later. She was only 58 years old at the time of her death. She was married and had two adult young children. Her loved ones pursued a claim against the doctors for the delay within the diagnosis of her cancer. The law firm that handled this lawsuit documented a settlement within the case for $950,000 on behalf of the family members.
In this case the woman treated with her main care physician from the time she was 50 years old to the time she was 55. In the course of that time her medical history included obesity, a hernia and hypertension. Her physician, on the other hand, never ever performed or suggested that she undergo screening for colon cancer.
When she was 55 she experienced vomiting also as diarrhea with blood clearly visible in her stool. She went to the emergency room exactly where the attending physician diagnosed her as having gastroenteritis. She followed up using a physician some days later. This doctor created a note of the reality that she now had as much as 3 bowel movements each day, all of which contained a blood. The physician suggested a wait-and-see approach and believed that she would need to have a lower G.I. endoscopy if her condition did not strengthen. The doctor's differential diagnosis was for colitis. The physician apparently never considered colon cancer as component of the differential diagnosis. A year later she once more saw this physician complaining of abdominal concerns and at the very least 50 pounds of unexplained fat loss. The physician concluded that her weight-loss was the result of a change in her diet plan and even although she had a history of blood in her stools that physician again didn't order or carry out any tests to rule out colon cancer.
A month later the woman again goes to the hospital with complaints of discomfort in her abdomen and continuing diarrhea. Also, by now there was blood present when she vomited. Her stool was now a dark brown color and testing revealed blood present within the stool. The doctor at the emergency room diagnosed her as having a gastrointestinal bleed. The physician subsequent ordered an x-ray which revealed a partial obstruction of the bowel. The physician then admitted her to the hospital. Blood tests revealed that her CEA, a marker for colon cancer, was abnormally high.
Initially a gastroenterologist performed an upper G.I. endoscopy and took various biopsies. The gastroenterologist, nonetheless, failed to a colonoscopy. It was not until a covering physician at the hospital noted that her history was suggestive of cancer and that extra testing was required that a sigmoidoscopy was lastly performed roughly two weeks later. The sigmoidoscopy revealed a huge obstruction as well as a follow-up CAT scan showed a huge tumor. Throughout surgery it was found that her cancer had already spread to each her uterus and her bladder. Additionally the pathology report of the material removed during the surgery identified cancer in 13 lymph nodes. The diagnosis - stage IV colon cancer.
She commenced treatment with chemotherapy and immediately after experiencing intolerance for the chemotherapy along with bowel obstructions as well as renal failure, the woman died much less than a year later. She was only 58 years old at the time of her death. She was married and had two adult young children. Her loved ones pursued a claim against the doctors for the delay within the diagnosis of her cancer. The law firm that handled this lawsuit documented a settlement within the case for $950,000 on behalf of the family members.
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