The PSA is a blood test used by physicians to test male patients who have no symptoms for prostate cancer. A high or rapidly rising PSA may indicate that the patient may have prostate cancer. These types of findings thus normally lead to more testing, for example, a biopsy, to find out if the patient in fact has cancer. There are, nevertheless, two principal problems with a biopsy. First a biopsy samples just a percentage of the prostate. It it may happen that the a biopsy could produce a false negative , missing the cancer. Second, biopsies pose dangers, including the possibility of infection and the threat of substantial bleeding.
Given of these two factors some doctors to adise that male patients who have an elevated PSA follow a program of “watchful waiting.” This is an approach where the physician routinely checks the man’s high PSA for months or years. During this time certain physicians suggest that the individual try non cancer related therapies, for example, for infection, under the theory that if the PSA is elevatedhigh for a reason rather than prostate cancer such treatments may bring the PSA back to normal levels.
What can go wrong with this approach? The physician could too much time go by without suggesting a biopsy. As the PSA goes up the likelihood grows that the rising levels result from prostate cancer, as does the possibility that the cancer has progress beyond the prostate gland resulting in a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer. If a physician, by recommending that the patient delay before undergoing diagnostic testing, results in a situation in which the cancer propagate and gets to metastasis, a cancer attorney can assist you determine whether you have a medical negligence lawsuit against that physician.
When the cancer is not diagnosed before the late stages, once it has progressed beyond the prostate, there is at the present time no treatment that can eliminate the cancer. Thus one needs to ask: How many of the men who will pass away this year from metastatic prostate cancer would not have to die if their physician had tested them and had not waited to recommend a biopsy after a high PSA test result?
The above is only general information that is readily obtainable and is meant for basic educational uses only. The above does not constitute medical advice. Confer with with a doctor if you have any health related issues and prior to accepting any medical advice. In addition, the above is also not legal advice. Talk to an attorney about any potential legal concerns.
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