Article posted on:09/17/2008

As was initially reported by Reuters, a recent study of data from nearly 1,300 U.S. hospitals has revealed that less than half routinely meet a key component for care of colon cancer patients -- checking a suitable number of lymph nodes following surgery to determine if the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. Medical literature and leading medical organizations say that physicians should examine at least 12 lymph nodes in patients who have had colon surgery to remove cancerous tumors to determine whether the colon cancer has metastasized. Such information is critical to physicians' efforts to accurately diagnose the stage and/or severity of the caner, guide future treatment, and determine whether a patient may be a candidate for chemotherapy. The study, which reviewed hospital data from patients who had undergone surgery to remove colon cancer in 2004 and 2005, found that only 38% of the hospitals in fact checked at least 12 lymph notes. According to physicians who participated in the study, checking too few lymph notes may give a false impression that the cancer has not spread to other areas of the body.

If you or a loved one believe that a physician has failed to properly or timely diagnose the spread of your colon cancer, call the lawyers at STSW for a free consultation. The lawyers at STSW routinely handle matters involving medical negligence / medical malpractice / meicdal error arising out of care received at all Baltimore and Washington D.C. hospitals and health care facilities. In addition, our lawyers routinely handle cases involving failure to timely diagnose the spread of cancer and/or the failure to timely treat that cancer. Call 410-385-2225 for a free consultation.