I read through thousands of medical records a week to analyze cases or determine if there is a case to begin with. One thing I find in almost every medical record is doctors sending out specimens (mostly tissue) to pathology laboratories for review. What I don’t find is any mention that the doctor spoke to the pathologist about the specific patient in question. This silence between pathologists and doctors can lead to life altering results for patients.

For example, pathologists are the doctors who analyze tissue on behalf of the doctor in the clinic to determine if the tissue is cancerous. Too often, however, the pathologist looks at the cells and decides whether it is benign or malignant. Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily work because we know that not all malignancies are in fact cancer. Research on cancer over the years has determined that there are in fact some malignant growths that are no longer classified as cancer.

Pathologists Failure to Communicate with the Patient or Doctor Creates Problems

As one article points out, this lack of communcation can create misunderstandings and large misconceptions about patient’s pathology. This, in turn, causes major potential problems because “[d]isagreements may mean the difference between active surveillance and aggressive treatment.” There are times where surgeons or oncologists are not necessarily sure about the pathologist’s language but rather than having a discussion, they just decide on one. For example, language like “cannot rule out cancer” may not be clear to the oncologist or patient about what the pathologist is really seeing. 

This miscommunication could be fixed by more active engagement between pathologists and oncologists. Some health clinics have even started allowing the patient to speak directly with the pathologist to allow a more thorough understanding of the pathology report. Other places have tumor boards with multiple specialities being represented to help review case studies. These forms of communication are key to getting the pathologist, the doctor’s doctor, out from behind the curtain and providing the healthcare that people seek so patients can either choose to undergo cancer treatment or avoid unnecessary treatment for a benign tumor.

Read more here: Two Truths and a Lie About Pathology

Read prior articles about diagnosing (and misdiagnosing) cancer here: www.cmglaw.com