Each year, many California residents go through the understandably difficult time of thinking they potentially have cancer. Sometimes, people going through this situation endure more unwanted stress by learning they received a false cancer diagnosis. Here are a few common causes of cancer misdiagnoses and what you can do as recourse.
Machine-related mistakes
These days, it’s rare for a medical professional to not use some type of medical device or machinery while treating a patient. Unfortunately, mammograms, one method used to detect cancer, might not be as accurate as many think. Research shows that mammograms are responsible for up to 31% of all breast cancer misdiagnoses.
Human errors
It’s understandable to hope that any medical professional you see for treatment knows what they are doing. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee this will always happen. That’s why a sizeable percentage of cancer misdiagnoses are the result of human error. Because there are so many types of cancer, it’s sometimes difficult for a medical professional to always make the correct diagnosis.
Financially motivated misdiagnoses
As disturbing as it is to think about, there have been cases when a medical professional intentionally gave a patient a misdiagnosis. Sadly, this diagnosis is often motivated by financial gain. Sometimes, a medical care provider can gain more money based on how many patients they treat for cancer. As shocking as it sounds, these intentional misdiagnoses can and will take place.
Receiving a cancer misdiagnosis can mean going through a lot of unwanted stress based on another party’s mistake. If this happened to you, consider all of your options.
