Misdiagnoses cause 2 patients to die of cancer in Chiba hospital

I would expect this is an extremely stressful job. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 'unknown source' cancer - a path that started four years ago. My first tumor was wrongly diagnosed even though it was surgically removed. It came back 10 months later and this time it was malignant. The cancer bounced to my lymph nodes next and later to my right lung. in each case the tumor was surgically removed, analyzed and diagnosis given. I am lucky to still be here. But I often think how doctors look at digital photo images every day and it DOES seem possible that mistakes can be made. Futamatagawa's Cancer Center is one of the best hospitals I have ever been a patient at. This hospital is in Yokohama. For those battling cancer, my heart goes out to you all as it is NOT an easy road to be on.

Kizrow - Thank you for your post. People often are quick to criticize so it is refreshing to see such a balanced response with someone with actual experience with this. A doctor in that position has a very difficult job as you pointed out.

Also thanks for putting the information here about the hospital.

I hope you continue to battle and eventually kick cancer's a$$!!!

I remember falling off my bike and hurting my arm, when I was about eight.

The doctor put up the X-ray on the display, and announced "Well, at least there's no break." My Dad pointed at the photo and asked "What's that line?" Turned out to be a fracture.

A broken arm and cancer are very different, but the principle is the same; tired, professional eyes, inured to the job, miss things that an untrained, fresh glance can catch.

Surely a job for AI, these days?

Good luck, kitzrow : )

Scans and x-rays should be examined by two experts, not one. Not all doctors, even specialists in the field, are skilled at reading scans. That's why there are specialists who do nothing but examine scans and x-rays.

NHK news suggests that the issue was the failure of the oncologist to take in the reports by the radiologist. Rather than meeting in person, the radiologist was passing on reports and believing they would be actioned, as required, but the oncologist did not properly understand his responsibilities. Another 3 or 4 patients are still alive but battling their cancers.

//The hospital overlooked some symptoms shown on the images//

Since symptoms are never shown on images, of course they would be overlooked - unless of course those images are living beings. My experience is that images are stored data that can be displayed on a monitor, or converted to a print image. My symptoms may include pain, bloody discharge, fatigue, etc. - all human feelings - which images cannot feel.

I suspect that they overlooked some suspicious data, or findings, or even images.

It's tragic, obviously. But there is a human factor involved, and people make mistakes. It happens from misdiagnosing pneumonia for a common cold, accidentally swapping X-rays and people getting the wrong surgery, etc.

We apologize to patients and their families, what a laugh, now hand over the money

Medical mistakes in Japan? Surely not?! LOL