Ovarian Cancer Misdiagnosis - Medical Negligence
Ovarian cancer mainly affects post-menopausal women and is the fourth most common cancer in women. Almost 50% of the victims of ovarian cancer are aged over 45. Treatment of ovarian cancer consists of surgery, usually to remove the ovaries and uterus including the fallopian tubes together with chemotherapy and pharmaceutical drugs. There are several types of ovarian cancer all of which may be misdiagnosed at an early stage due to the fact that several other conditions have similar symptoms. Symptoms may consist of loss of appetite, indigestion, nausea, excessive gas bloated, full feeling, unexplained weight gain, swelling in the abdomen, pain in the lower abdomen, changes in bowel or bladder habits, lower back pain, pain during sex and abnormal vaginal bleeding. Misdiagnosis at any stage usually involves medical negligence.
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Diagnosis
Initial diagnosis involves a local doctor which is where the possibility of misdiagnosis is greatest. There should be initial referral for ultrasound scans and blood tests with subsequent referral to a gynaecologist or cancer specialist who will arrange for an internal vaginal examination with further specific blood tests and perhaps x-ray. Other tests include ultrasound scan, computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, abdominal fluid aspiration, laparoscopy and exploratory laparoscopy. All of these tests depend on human interpretation of test result with the possibility of errors and subsequent misdiagnosis.