A high or quickly rising PSA may mean that a man has prostate cancer and thus physicians generally suggest that a patient with an elevated or quickly rising PSA undergo a biopsy. You will find, nevertheless, 2 basic problems with a biopsy. First a biopsy checks only a portion of the prostate. Therefore the a [...]
A high or quickly rising PSA may mean that a man has prostate cancer and thus physicians generally suggest that a patient with an elevated or quickly rising PSA undergo a biopsy.
You will find, nevertheless, 2 basic problems with a biopsy. First a biopsy checks only a portion of the prostate. Therefore the a biopsy could yield a false negative , missing the cancer. Second, biopsies have risks, like the risk of infection and the threat of excessive bleeding.
Because of these two facts certain physicians to advise that men with a high PSA follow a program of “watchful waiting.” This is a method by which the doctor periodically checks the patient’s raised PSA for months or years. In this time some doctors recommend that the man try non cancer related therapies, for example, for infection, under the theory that if the PSA is elevatedhigh due to something besides prostate cancer such treatments may return the PSA back to normal levels.
The difficulty arises in that the physician may too much time pass without advising that the patient undergo a biopsy. The more time that goes by while the PSA goes up the likelihood grows that the rising levels are due to prostate cancer, as does the chance that the cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland resulting in a finding of metastatic prostate cancer.
In the event that a doctor, by suggesting that the individual delay before doing diagnostic testing, results in a situation in which the cancer spreads and gets to an advanced stage, a cancer lawyer can help you decide if you may have a medical negligence lawsuit against that physician.
If the cancer is not detected before the late stages, when it has progressed beyond the prostate, there is at the current time no treatment that can eliminate the cancer. Thus one needs to ask: How many of the men who will die this year from metastatic prostate cancer could have survived if only their doctor had tested them instead of advising “watchful waiting”?
The above is basically basic information that is easily obtainable and is intended for basic educational purposes only. The above does not constitute medical advice. Confer with with a doctor if you have any health related concerns and before taking any medical advice. The above is also not legal advice. Talk to an attorney regarding any potential legal issues.
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