Around 2/3 of female patients with ovarian cancer receive inadequate care, missing out on treatments that could add years to their lives, according to a new study.
The main reason for poor care is that most of the 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed annually in the U.S. are treated by doctors and hospitals that see few cases of the disease and lack expertise in the complex surgery and chemotherapy that can prolong life. Immediate and proper treatment could help save many of the 15,000 women the disease kills a year in the U.S. alone, as it is usually discovered while already in an advanced stage.
Meticulous, extensive surgery and aggressive chemotherapy are found to treat the disease best as the cancer usually spreads into the abdomen. The surgery may involve removing the spleen, parts of the intestine, stomach and other organs, as well as the reproductive system, to give the drugs a better chance of killing whatever cancer is left.
Operations should be done by gynecologic oncologists, not general surgeons or gynecologists, experts say. Surgeons who lack expertise in ovarian cancer should refer women to specialists if the women are suspected to have the disease, but often do not, says Dr. Barbara A. Goff, a professor of gynecologic oncology at the University of Washington, in Seattle. Read the full story here:
Widespread Flaws Found in Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose however the failure or a delay in diagnosis of ovarian cancer and other forms of cancer leads to medical negligence, medical malpractice and wrongful death. The treatment of this condition has also come under question as the results of recent studies show.
If you or someone you love has been injured by medical malpractice, including delays or mistakes in treatment, call the professionals at Crandall & Pera Law for a free consultation.