Misdiagnosed Cervical Cancer

According to Alan Moses’ report, Monday October 10 in Health Day Reporter, a new study suggests more than 12 percent of cancer patients in the U.S. are undiagnosed initially. Apparently this leads to treatment delays and lost opportunities for better outcomes.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Canada, China and the United States but based upon the experience of four American medical centers.

Study author Dr. Stephen S. Raab, a professor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said "I want to make clear that the major consequence is not that patients unnecessarily have organs removed or have a false diagnosis of cancer, but rather that they have cancer and it is not diagnosed."

This study provides insight concerning the accuracy of cancer diagnosis nationwide. The researchers estimate by extrapolation that about 150,000 cancer patients who undergo Pap tests annually may be subject to such mistakes. If the probability of error in cancer testing applies, as these researchers suspect, across the broad spectrum of cancer diagnosis, then surely many patients needlessly suffer from delay.

Cancer Misdiagnosed in 12% of Cases
Improper tissue sampling, reading often the culprits, study researchers say

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Upwards of 12 percent of U.S. cancer patients are initially misdiagnosed, a new study suggests, leading to repeat testing, treatment delays, increased health-care costs and patient anxiety.

Improper tissue and blood sampling, sometimes coupled with inaccurate reading of hospital lab results, are the twin culprits for cancer diagnosis error, according to a team of Canadian, Chinese and American researchers.

A wide range of cancers -- including both gynecologic and non-gynecologic disease -- are vulnerable to such detection mistakes, while the absence of uniform standards to evaluate error frequency across U.S. hospitals complicates efforts to combat the problem, the study authors said.

The authors point out that health-care centers are also often reluctant to tackle the issue head-on for fear of the adverse legal and public relations consequences related to error disclosure.

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