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Medical Second Opinions
A recent news story cited a study, by researchers at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, that found an alarming rate of medical misdiagnoses among pathologists. In a review of 6,000 tissue samples from cancer patients at hospitals around the country, the Hopkins team found that one out of every 71 cases was misdiagnosed. Biopsies were labeled cancerous when they were actually benign (noncancerous); those that were cancerous were sometimes misclassified as the wrong type of cancer. "That can change whether a patient gets no treatment, vs. surgery, vs. radiation," warned Hopkins' Dr. Jonathan Epstein in the report.
Unfortunately, many patients are hesitant to get a second opinion because they are afraid of damaging their relationship with their doctor. Yet all patients are entitled to an independent second opinion, and to get a copy of their medical records.
Learn more about the Johns Hopkins International Second Opinion Services
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