Misdiagnosis of Prostate Cancer
Alternative diagnoses list for Prostate Cancer:
For a diagnosis of Prostate Cancer,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Prostate Cancer:
Diseases for which Prostate Cancer may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Prostate Cancer
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Rare Types of Prostate Cancer:
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Prostate Cancer: Medical Mistakes
Related medical mistakes may include:
Prostate Cancer: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:
Common Misdiagnoses and Prostate Cancer
Spitz nevi misdiagnosed as dangerous melanoma skin cancer: One possible misdiagnosis to
consider in lieu of melanoma is spitz nevi.
See melanoma and spitz nevi.
Interstitial cystitis an under-diagnosed bladder condition: The medical
condition of interstitial cystitic is a bladder condition that can be
misdiagnosed as various conditions such as overactive bladder or other causes of pelvic pain.
This condition can cause chronic pelvic pain or symptoms of urinary incontinence,
similar to overactive bladder.
Millions of patients may be misdiagnosed - an estimated third of the 9 million women with
chronic pelvic pain (CPP) or 4.5 million of the 17 million women with overactive bladder syndrome
do not respond well to treatment, and may have interstitial cystitis rather than their given diagnosis.
In other words, about 6 million US women may have misdiagnosed interstitial cystitis.
See interstitial cystitis or overactive bladder, or incontinence.
Prostate cancer can present late: Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer among
males. Patients with prostate cancer commonly present with local symptoms such
as urinary retention, back or leg pain and hematuria. However none of these
symptoms are is unique to prostate cancer and each could arise from various
other ailments. Most of the patients are asymptomatic. Men found to be
diagnosed with low- grade prostate cancers have a minimal risk of dying from
prostate cancer upto 20 years after diagnosis whereas men with severe forms of
prostate cancer have a higher risk of dying within 10 years.
Prostate cancer or BPH: Cancer of the prostate gland is one of the most common
cancers in men. Early diagnosis of prostate cancer, when it is confined to the
gland and hasn't metastasised ensures timely treatment and increases
chances of survival. Since a person with prostate cancer often
presents with lower urinary tract symptoms, it is very often
misdiagnosed as Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy and treated
accordingly. Therefore routine screening for prostate
cancer including prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination
is recommended in all men above 50 years and earlier still in those with
risk factors and symptoms.
Prostate Cancer: Rare Types
Rare types of medical disorders and diseases in related medical areas:
Failure To Diagnose Prostate Cancer
Failure to diagnose Prostate Cancer may be associated with the following:
- The use of a digital rectal exam can result in some small prostate cancers being diagnosed. The test is also only as good as the technique employed by the health professional. Another test called the PSA (prostate specific antigen) is non-specific. A high PSA reading may be caused by prostate cancer as well as other conditions such as prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia. Although prostate cancers often produce a high PSA level, some prostate cancers don't which can result in a false negative PSA result. There are also concerns that a false positive resulting in unnecessary treatments may lead to increased risk of mortality due to complications from the treatments as well as a reduced quality of life and financial considerations
- Prostate cancer often causes no symptoms in the early stages and is thus often undiagnosed unless the patient is routinely screened for the condition. Symptoms that do eventually present are quite varied and may be caused by a number of conditions which makes it difficult to diagnose. Furthermore, prostate cancer that produces symptoms such as weight loss, bone pain and kidney dysfunction is usually a sign of advanced cancer with a poor prognosis
- Often, prostate cancer goes undiagnosed because older male patients are hesitant about subjecting themselves to the discomfort of a digital rectal examination
- Prostate cancer may be missed in cases where a digital rectal exam and a PSA test both have a negative result
- Patient non-compliance can contribute to the failure to diagnose prostate cancer. If patients fail to attend follow-up investigations on suspicious initial results, the diagnosis may be delayed
- Elderly patients with chronic illnesses are less likely to have their prostate cancer diagnosed due to the fact that ill patients are less likely to notice new symptoms and if they do notice symptoms they will dismiss them as being caused by their condition
- Some cases of non-aggressive prostate cancer go undiagnosed and untreated and the patient eventually dies of an unrelated cause
Notes On Hidden Causes Of Prostate Cancer
The following may be hidden causes of Prostate Cancer:
- Genetics, age, diet (high consumption of animal fat) and possibly smoking are believed to be the main risk factors for prostate cancer. Some cases of prostate cancer are inherited
- High testosterone levels can hasten the progression of prostate cancer
Complications Of Misdiagnosis Of Prostate Cancer
The following may be complications of misdiagnosis of Prostate Cancer:
- Prostate cancer patients are prone to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis due to prostate cancer is often overlooked in males
- One of the dilemmas in diagnosing prostate cancer patients is the fact that some prostate cancers can be quite aggressive while others may develop slowly over years or even decades. It is difficult to determine the expected rate of progression. Thus, many health professionals believe that people with a life expectancy of less than ten years should not be targeted for prostate cancer screening and if they are diagnosed with the condition, they need to carefully evaluate the benefits of the treatment and the possible rate of progression. It is deemed unhelpful to subject a patient with a short life span the harsh effects of prostate cancer treatments
- Urination problems in older men are usually misdiagnosed as benign prostatic hyperplasia or are simply dismissed as a normal process of aging
- Urination pain due to prostate cancer may be misdiagnosed as a urinary tract infection
- Impotence problems that develop in males with prostate cancer is often put down to aging
- Blood in the urine due to prostate cancer may be misdiagnosed as benign prostate enlargement, viral infection, kidney inflammation, kidney stones and urinary tract obstruction. The risk of misdiagnosis is greatly increased if the patient has a pre-existing condition e.g. a patient who has a history of kidney stones may have his prostate cancer misdiagnosed as kidney stones
Other Notes On Misdiagnosis Of Prostate Cancer
- Men over the age of 50 who develop back pain should be investigated for spinal cord compression due to prostate cancer metastasis. Prostate cancer may readily metastasize to the spinal cord and cause neurological problems - the prostate cancer cells travel from the Batson's plexus to the lumbar spine. Advanced prostate cancer often metastasizes to the central nervous system - brain and spinal cord. Prostate cancer that metastasizes to the brain may cause symptoms such as headaches, motor problems and altered mental status which may be misdiagnosed as conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
- Many cases of prostate cancer are actually diagnosed during tissue sample testing after a prostate resection for benign prostatic hypertrophy or other prostate conditions
- There is still a lot of unknowns about the causes and risk factors of prostate cancers
Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Prostate Cancer:
The following medical news items
are relevant to misdiagnosis of Prostate Cancer:
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Prostate Cancer
or confirming a diagnosis of Prostate Cancer,
it is useful to consider what other
medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative
conditions relevant to diagnosis.
These alternate diagnoses of Prostate Cancer may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Prostate Cancer.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer killer of men in the U.S. Among the treatment options for this disease are surgery, radiation therapy...
Bill Blair is a cancer researcher who found himself stricken with prostate cancer. True to his nature he has fought both the disease and side effects...
The PSA test remains a controversial screening tool for prostate cancer, but there is little doubt on its value for helping with treatment decisions....
There's an on-going debate within the medical community about the merits of routine screening for prostate cancer. Get the latest information and...
See full list of 23 related videos
» Next page: Undiagnosed Prostate Cancer
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
