Incorrect diagnosis can come from lab reports

People who go to the doctor rely on the doctor and others who are involved in their care to get an accurate diagnosis. Many people tend to think about incorrect diagnosis situations occurring when a diagnosis is missed. For example, a person who has cancer not being diagnosed with cancer so the disease is left unchecked. This isn’t the only way that an incorrect diagnosis can occur.

Some patients are finding out that the lab results from biopsy tests are being reported as being cancerous when the biopsy result was actually benign. This is a disturbing situation because it means that patients might actually undergo harsh treatments that are completely unnecessary.

Think about how these patients will feel if they undergo surgery, chemotherapy or radiation only to find out that their misery was unwarranted. As you can imagine, the patient is likely going to be pretty upset that they endured that, but relieved that they didn’t have cancer.

There is a way that doctors and labs can prevent cases of mixed up tests from occurring. Unfortunately, the DNA technology currently costs around $300 per sample, which makes this an unlikely solution in an industry where profits are often put at the top of the priority list. But, where does this unwillingness leave patients? Sadly, it leaves them at risk of getting incorrect results.

If you are misdiagnosed as having cancer when there wasn’t anything wrong, you might opt to explore your right to seek compensation. This could help you recover the funds that you spent on unnecessary medical care, as well as the pain and suffering that you had to endure.

Source: The New York Times, “The Lab Says It’s Cancer. But Sometimes the Lab Is Wrong.,” Gina Kolata, June 26, 2017