Pennsylvanian residents like you are encouraged to get a yearly checkup. For some, this may include mammograms, which are used to check the health of your breast tissue. This is a valuable tool when it comes to figuring out whether or not you could have breast cancer. But just how reliable are the results?
CBS News reported that many mammogram results are actually misread. False positive cancer readings have been reported at a height of around 16 percent of the total results. The cause of these mistakes is often misinterpretation of the results by the doctor. This issue is more common among those newer to the profession, who don’t have quite as much practice with reading and interpreting the results.
The opposite can happen as well, with someone getting a false negative. This can be even more dangerous. It means that someone with a cancerous tumor could have their cancer go undetected for an undetermined period of time, bringing them additional health risks and making the tumor or cancer harder to deal with.
Generally speaking, the tools used for mammograms themselves are very reliable. They do require maintenance and are subject to the possibility of parts failures just like any other medical device. However, the majority of misdiagnoses revolve around human error in terms of reading and conveying what the machine shows.
If your breast cancer diagnosis was delayed because of faulty mammogram results or an incorrect reading, you may want to contact an attorney. They can help you decide how you want to move forward in your pursuit of financial compensation.