This story is about a man who is suing his doctor for not diagnosing his prostate cancer in time. I thought it unusual because I know a number of men who have been in this very same situation or worse, and they have not sued anybody. They basically just have had to live with the results of their doctors’ errors. I remember learning in law school that only 1% of *serious medical injuries* get litigated. The others settle out of court or go unrequited.
I must say I am a bit skeptical about the plaintiff winning this case. The test for medical malpractice is that you have to prove that the doctor did not conform to generally accepted medical standards. In the case of PSA testing, there are a substantial number of doctors who don’t even believe in doing the test. Basically, with PC, there are no generally accepted standards.
And, should the doctor have become alarmed by a PSA of 3? I’m not a PSA maven, but in absolute terms that’s not such a high number. I’m curious to see what will happen. If the man prevails, it could affect a lot of us.
Anyway, here’s the article:
Refinery worker blames company doc for missing signs of cancer
Southeast Texas Record – Beaumont,TX,USA, 4/30/2008 7:00 PM
By David Yates
A Huntsman Petrochemical employee is suing the company doctor, claiming the physician ignored warning signs of his enlarging prostate.
Now suffering from cancer, David K. Ray alleges Dr. Lawrence W. Sanders could have helped to halt the disease before it spread, if only he had “recognized the dangers associated with increasing PS
