New Colon Cancer Screening Guidelines: 45 Is The New 50

New Screening Guidelines for Colorectal Cancer

The American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in May of this year updated the guidelines for colon cancer screenings recommending that all men and women (with average risk of colon cancer) begin screening at age 45 (instead of 50), using tests such as:

• Colonoscopy
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy
• CT colonography
• Stool test
• As well as other colon cancer tests.

According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in the U.S. and the second leading cause of cancer death

Source: American Cancer Society

The rates of the incidence of colon cancer and death from colon cancer have declined in recent years due to increased use of colon cancer screenings to detect and remove precancerous polyps. That's the good news. 

The bad news: While the overall incidence of the disease is down, the rates of colon cancer in younger populations is increasing. Colorectal cancer is predicted to become the top leading cause of cancer death in people aged 20 to 49 by the year 2030, according to reporting by Good Morning America.

Colorectal Cancer and Black Americans

Black Americans are at an even greater risk for colon cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, and reported in STAT News,

"Black men are 24% more likely to develop the disease and 47% more likely to die from it than white men. Black women are 19% more likely than their white counterparts to develop it and have a 34% higher rate of dying from it."

Colon Cancer Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

When a physician fails to screen for colon cancer based on symptoms, or fails to screen for colon cancer based on recommended guidelines, and there is a delay in the diagnosis of colon cancer, the patient may have a medical malpractice claim. Investigating the circumstances surrounding a delay in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer should be conducted by attorneys experienced in colon cancer cases. 

Some our firm's recent medical malpractice settlements related to colo-rectal cancer lawsuits include:

• Rectal Cancer Diagnosis Delay: $1.25 Million Settlement
• Delay in Diagnosis and Treatment of Neuro-endocrine Colon Cancer: $850,000 Settlement
• Delay in Diagnosis of Colon Cancer Leading To Death: $1 Million Settlement

Questions?

If you believe you or a loved one was not provided the proper care and/or cancer screening related to a colon cancer diagnosis, please contact our law firm to request a free case evaluation. 

Our attorneys and staff nurses are available to review your case. No fee. No obligation.

Learn more on our Colon Cancer Information Page.

We represent individuals and families in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com - Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law

Diagnostic Error Study Shows Getting A Second Opinion is Worth the Effort

Misdiagnosis and Delay in Diagnosis of Cancer and Other Diseases Is Common — Especially in Younger and Female Patients

A recent study reveals that among patients who sought a second opinion at the prestigious Mayo Clinic, more than 20% had been misdiagnosed by a primary care provider.

As reported in the Washington Post:

"The researchers looked retrospectively at 286 patients who had seen primary-care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in 2009 and 2010. Nearly two-thirds were younger than 64, and most were female.”

The Post article further clarifies:

"In 62 cases (21 percent), the second diagnosis was “distinctly different” from the first, the researchers reported. In 36 cases (12 percent), the diagnoses were the same. In the remaining 188 cases, the diagnoses were at least partly correct but were “better defined/refined” by the second opinion, according to the study.”

The prevalence of misdiagnosis is covered also in this NBC television segment (below)...

When Is Misdiagnosis or Delay in Diagnosis Considered Medical Malpractice?

Cases of misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis are often the basis of successful medical malpractice lawsuits when a physician or other healthcare provider does not take patient complaints seriously, does not order or follow up on diagnostic tests, or when other problems enter into a patient's care such as lab errors, communication errors, electronic medical records issues, or other hospital system errors.

This is especially harmful in cancer and other diseases where an early diagnosis can make a big difference in the patient’s prognosis — often whether they live or die.

For example, three of the most recent medical malpractice settlements posted to the Lubin & Meyer website are all related to the delay in diagnosis of cancer.

• $6.8M Judgment for Kidney Cancer Diagnosis Delay - Wrongful death lawsuit against doctor affiliated with Lowell General Hospital
• $1.5M Settlement for Delay in Diagnosis of Lung Cancer - Failure to address cough and order chest x-ray leads to delay in lung cancer diagnosis
• $2.5M Settlement for Failure to Diagnose Appendiceal Cancer - Lawsuit claims pathologist who evaluated appendix after removal was negligent in failing to identify the cancer and note it in her report

Do You Have Questions About a Diagnostic Error?

If you believe that you or a loved one may have suffered undue injury due to a delay in diagnosis of a medical condition or disease, you should consult with a medical malpractice attorney in your state that regularly deals with such cases and can bring your case to trial if needed, or negotiate the best settlement.

Lubin & Meyer medical malpractice attorneys represent patients in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Please learn more about our firm at lubinandmeyer.com. Or, use the button below to connect with us now.

View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com - Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law

Preventing Cancer Misdiagnosis

Boston Magazine reported a while back on the need for lawmakers to examine the “frequency and costs” associated with patients receiving a cancer misdiagnosis in an article entitled, “Misdiagnosing Cancer is More Common Thank We Think.”

According to the article, “nearly $700 billion dollars are wasted in the US medical system each year, much of which is tied to misdiagnosis…” Lymphoma was reported to be the most misdiagnosed cancer “followed by breast cancer, sarcomas [and], melanomas….”  The physicians in the study further revealed they believed policymakers could be instrumental in changing this alarming statistic by “offer[ing] hospitals incentives that are gathering data and presenting research about misdiagnosis.”

We would agree.

Read the full article: Cancer Misdiagnosis.

View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com
Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law. Attorneys practicing in MA, NH and RI.

Breast Cancer Treatment News: Study Shows Benefit of Longer Tamoxifen Treatment

A study published this month suggests, that for certain breast cancers, a 10-year course of treatment of tamoxifen could benefit some patients instead of the usually prescribed 5-year treatment. The study, published in The Lancet, found that:

"For women with ER-positive disease, continuing tamoxifen to 10 years rather than stopping at 5 years produces a further reduction in recurrence and mortality, particularly after year 10. These results, taken together with results from previous trials of 5 years of tamoxifen treatment versus none, suggest that 10 years of tamoxifen treatment can approximately halve breast cancer mortality during the second decade  after diagnosis."

As reported in the New York Times in a related article, Bigger Role Seen for Breast Cancer Drug:

"The widely prescribed drug tamoxifen already plays a major role in reducing the risk of death from breast cancer. But a new study suggests that women should be taking the drug for twice as long as is now customary, a finding that could upend the standard that has been in place for about 15 years.

In the study, patients who continued taking tamoxifen for 10 years were less likely to have the cancer come back or to die from the disease than women who took the drug for only five years, the current standard of care."      

Also reported in the Times:

"Breast cancer specialists not involved in the study said the results could have the biggest impact on premenopausal women, who account for a fifth to a quarter of new breast cancer cases. Postmenopausal women tend to take different drugs, but some experts said the results suggest that those drugs might be taken for a longer duration as well." 

Persons diagnosed with breast cancer should consult their oncologist to discuss the findings of this study.    

Lubin & Meyer PC | Boston Breast Cancer Attorneys
New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law
Attorneys licensed and practicing in MA, NH, RI