Many times, when a doctor fails to diagnose something as dangerous as cancer, the issue isn’t that the doctor doesn’t see anything at all. It’s just that they believe it is not dangerous or they diagnose it as a different condition.
Of course, this type of misidentification can be very problematic. It gives you, the patient, a false sense of security. You may not take the condition as seriously as you should. You may delay treatment. You may allow it to get worse or even ignore future warning signs because you trust the doctor. You believe they got it right, even when they didn’t.
For instance, there is a specific type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. In the early stages, people often note that it looks a lot like a pimple. Acne, of course, is a very common condition and generally needs no treatment at all.
However, when it’s actually cancer, it will appear that the pimple doesn’t leave for weeks or perhaps even months on end. That’s when you know it’s something far more dangerous than acne. The good news is that there are no types of skin cancer that are more common or easier to treat — if, that is, your doctor determines what the spot really is.
With something like cancer, a mistake can prove deadly. You trust your doctor, and you deserve to know that they took the proper care to offer you the treatment you really need. If they did not give you that level of care, you may want to look into your legal options.