The survival rate for prostate cancer varies depending on the stage of the cancer as high as a 99 percent five-year survival rate for early-stage prostate cancer versus a five to 10 percent five-year survival rate for metastatic prostate cancer. For this reason alone, you can see why early intervention and effective treatment plans are critical. That is, the one thing that can severely deter you from the path toward recovery and survivorship is being initially misdiagnosed.聽Continue reading to learn how prostate cancer can be misdiagnosed and how an experienced New York City failure to diagnose prostate cancer lawyer at Mark L. Bodner, P.C. can have the responsible medical professional pay the consequences for this.
How can prostate cancer possibly be misdiagnosed?
You should trust that your treating medical professional is experienced and knowledgeable enough to identify your expressed signs and symptoms as possible prostate cancer. However, if they are negligent and do not pay close enough attention, they may easily write it off as a less concerning illness or health condition.
For one, they may assume that you suffer from chronic urinary tract infections if you have a frequent, urgent need to urinate even when your bladder is not full; if you have a burning sensation when urinating; or if your urine is cloudly, dark, or bloody.
Secondly, they may mistake it for benign prostatic hyperplasia if you experience a weak, slow, or interrupted urine stream, and overall if you experience frequent urination with still difficulty emptying your bladder.
Or, they may take it as prostatitis if you have pain, discomfort, or inflammation in the pelvic area; if you are currently suffering from erectile dysfunction symptoms; or if you have elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in your bloodstream.
Lastly, it is even possible for prostate cancer to be misinterpreted as bladder cancer. This is because your ultrasound may show lesions in your bladder. Sadly, with this, you may undergo physically challenging cancer treatment programs that are targeting the wrong part of your body.
How can a prostate cancer misdiagnosis be avoided?
Based on what you have learned so far, you may now be worried that your current health condition is, in reality, prostate cancer. However, a prostate cancer delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis is easily avoidable so long as your treating medical professional upholds their duty of care.
That is, they should heavily consider your concerns, along with your family history of cancer or prostate cancer, and offer you the proper screening.聽This means ordering for PSA testing, digital rectal exams, and more. From here, they must diligently review and correctly interpret the results. They should not hesitate to refer you to an oncologist specializing in genitourinary cancer for further testing and observation if there is anything of the slightest concern within these results.
Any deviation from this standard practice may, unfortunately, cause your prostate cancer to progress to the point that it is untreatable and incurable.聽No matter what, you do not need to feel alone in this process. A skilled New York City failure to diagnose cancer attorney is ready to be in your corner and support you throughout. So please reach out to Mark L. Bodner, P.C. whenever you are ready.