Missed Colon Cancer Diagnosis

A missed colon cancer diagnosis can have devastating consequences.

Colon cancer is preventable and is one of two cancers where screenings exist to identify and remove pre-cancerous growths. A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found, however, that physicians who perform colonoscopies miss as many as 40 percent of pre-cancerous polyps and cancers. A missed colon cancer diagnosis may hurt the patient’s chances for a full recovery.

Colorectal cancer is usually slow growing and is very survival with early detection and proper treatment. The American Cancer Society estimates that early detection would save the lives of more than half of the patients who die every year. However, many doctors fail to perform colon cancer screening tests, ignore symptoms of colon cancer (such as rectal bleeding that might be dismissed as hemorrhoids), improperly interpret screenings for colon cancer or fail to initiate proper treatment.

Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed and third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States for both men and women. The American Cancer Society estimates that 148,810 new colorectal cancer diagnoses and nearly 50,000 deaths occur every year. In addition, an estimated 80 to 90 million Americans are at risk for developing colorectal cancer.