Johnny Grew

An elevated or quickly rising PSA may mean that a male patient has prostate cancer . Physicians thus typically suggest that a patient with an elevated or rapidly rising PSA have a biopsy.

You will find, however, 2 principal difficulties with a biopsy. First a biopsy samples merely a part of the prostate. It it may happen that the a biopsy could yield a false negative and not catch the cancer. Second, biopsies have risks, such as the danger of infection and the threat of substantial bleeding.

Because of these two facts some doctors to advise that male patients with a high PSA follow a program of “watchful waiting.” This is an approach where the doctor routinely checks the patient’s elevated PSA for months or even years. In this time some doctors recommend that the patient try non cancer related therapies, for example, for infection, under the theory that if the PSA is elevatedhigh due to something rather than prostate cancer such treatments may bring the PSA back to normal levels.

The problem is that the doctor might wait too long prior to suggesting a biopsy. The more time that goes by while the PSA goes up the probability increases that the rising levels result from prostate cancer, as does the chance that the cancer will spread outside of the gland leading to a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer. If a doctor, by suggesting that the patient wait instead of promptly undergoing diagnostic testing, is responsible for a scenario in which the cancer spreads and gets to metastasis, a an attorney experienced in cancer law can assist you decide whether you might be able to successfully pursue medical malpractice case against that physician.

Comparable problems can come about from the delayed detection of breast cancer in women and also of colon cancer   In all such cases the difficulty enters in when the holdup ends up meaning that the individual is not diagnosed until the cancer is in the late (and possibly incurable) stages.

The preceding is basically general information that is commonly available and is intended for elementary educational uses only. It should not be taken as medical advice. Talk to with a physician if you have any health related problems and before accepting any medical advice. The above is also not legal advice. Consult with an attorney concerning any potential legal issues.