Medical Negligence Solicitor calls for more reliable tests on prostate cancer
(PRWEB UK) 11 April 2014 -- Medical negligence solicitor Fiona Hedges of Mercury Legal Online has called for better testing to properly diagnose cases of prostate cancer after a study by scientists at the University of Cambridge released today (11th April) found that the severity of cancer in more than half of a group of men was underestimated. (i)
The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, compared the staging and grading of prostate cancer in more than 800 men suffering with the disease. It found that of 415 men who were told initially that the cancer was slow-growing; half of these (209) were actually suffering from a more aggressive form of the disease than originally thought. (i)
Study author Grey Shaw, a urological surgeon at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, said: “Our results show that the severity of up to half of men's prostate cancers may be underestimated when relying on tests before they have surgery. (i)
“This highlights the urgent need for better tests to define how aggressive a prostate cancer is from the outset." (i)
Sufferers of prostate cancer can currently choose to undergo an operation to remove the prostate or opt for active surveillance, which monitors slow-growing cancers that may never progress. If sufferers aren’t correctly diagnosed from the start, active surveillance may mean sufferers risk the cancer worsening.
Fiona Hedges, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Mercury Legal Online, said of the findings: “The large numbers of misdiagnosis suggested in this study are very concerning. The prostate cancer in over half of men assessed for this study has been underestimated which indicates that further treatment given to the men will not be right for them.
“Based on the results of the study, there is an urgent need for better testing for prostate cancer sufferers to ensure that they are receiving the best possible treatment for the disease. This should build on existing MRI scans and research of new techniques that could better define the severity of the cancer from the start.”
Sources:
Mercury Legal Online is a national personal injury practice specialising in misdiagnosis and GP negligence claims. Mercury Legal Online is administered and run by Gallium Legal LLP who are regulated by the Claims Management Regulator and was formed in 2013.
Fiona Hedges is a Solicitor who specialises in all types of clinical and hospital negligence claims. Fiona has settled claims relating to hospital errors and negligent doctors and has also helped many victims of negligent cosmetic surgery procedures.
Charlie Oakham, Mercury Legal, http://www.mercurylegal.co.uk/, +44 8001223130, [email protected]
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