Some of the common symptoms of uterine cancer – such as bleeding after menopause, unusual vaginal discharge, or painful intercourse – are sometimes confused with other medical issues, such as fibroids. This can make it more difficult to accurately diagnose uterine cancer when the chances for successful treatment are much greater. However, healthcare professionals have a legal and ethical obligation to accurately diagnose patients, especially when they have life-threatening conditions, such as uterine or endometrial cancer.
When a healthcare provider misdiagnoses uterine cancer as another condition, such as fibroids, patients can lose critical time to respond to cancer when it is in its earlier stages. Injured patients may have the right to seek compensation from the healthcare providers whose negligence contributed to a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. The experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Powers & Santola, LLP can advise you of your legal rights during a free consultation.
Common Symptoms of Uterine Cancer
Healthcare providers are supposed to take sufficient time to examine patients and discuss symptoms with them. Some of the most common symptoms that may alert them to uterine cancer include:
Irregular Bleeding
One of the most noticeable symptoms of uterine cancer is irregular bleeding, such as periods that involve heavier bleeding than usual, spotting between normal periods, bleeding after intercourse, sporadic bleeding, or menstrual periods that don’t follow a typical menstrual cycle.
Some of these symptoms may go unnoticed at first if the patient has a history of irregular cycles. Additionally, other factors, such as stress or weight loss, can affect menstrual cycles. Spotting or irregular periods are also common during perimenopause.
It is important for patients and their medical providers to carefully monitor bleeding symptoms and their relation to menstrual cycles. For example, if a patient has a skipped period and then experiences heavy bleeding for two or three weeks, this could indicate that blood is building up in the uterus, which is a risk factor for uterine cancer.
Healthcare professionals can check for endometrial cancer by using a pelvic ultrasound and a biopsy. They may also perform a pelvic exam, which might include obtaining a Pap smear.
Bleeding After Menopause
Another telltale symptom of endometrial cancer is bleeding after menopause. Menopause is the absence of menstrual cycles for twelve consecutive months. If you have already gone through menopause and are experiencing bleeding, this could signal a major problem, whether that only involves spotting or heavy bleeding. It’s critical to your health to investigate the origin of any vaginal bleeding.
Dr. Larissa Meyer reports that vaginal bleeding after menopause is a “sentinel sign of endometrial cancer,” noting that 90% of women with postmenopausal endometrial cancer experience abnormal vaginal bleeding. An endometrial biopsy can help confirm if the bleeding is related to endometrial or uterine cancer.
Pelvic Pressure
A tumor or growth on the uterus or ovaries can cause compression on organs near it, causing some patients to experience pelvic pressure or pain. Pressure on the bladder and rectum can also cause pain and discomfort in the pelvic area, abdomen, or back, as can a mass sitting behind the uterus.
Changes in Bladder and Bowel Habits
The pressure from a tumor can also cause changes in a person’s bowel and bladder habits. Some patients report symptoms such as:
- Constipation
- Urinary incontinence
- An increased urgency to urinate
These symptoms could also indicate pelvic floor disorders, so the key is to determine whether they are new and chronic. A proper evaluation can help determine whether the symptoms indicate uterine cancer or a non-cancer-related issue.
Unusual Vaginal Discharge
Another symptom that can indicate uterine cancer is vaginal discharge. However, since the cervix creates a lot of mucus, some discharge is normal. However, there are times when you should have it professionally evaluated, such as:
- It occurs around times other than your periods.
- It is occurring more frequently than usual.
- It occurs after sex.
- It is consistently watery or bloody.
- It has an unpleasant odor.
- It occurs in older women who have stopped having discharge, and now the discharge is recurring.
Painful Intercourse
While pain during intercourse can have various causes, the key again is whether this is a new symptom. If you have not previously experienced pain during sex but now you are, this is worth looking into. A pelvic exam and ultrasound can help properly diagnose you.
Gastrointestinal Issues
One symptom that people may not immediately associate with endometrial cancer is gastrointestinal issues. Patients and medical professionals alike might initially dismiss GI symptoms such as chronic diarrhea, constipation, discomfort, feeling full quickly after eating, or persistent bloating as irritable bowel syndrome or other GI conditions. However, they are also indicative of ovarian cancer. Imaging can help properly diagnose the condition.
Why Uterine Cancer May Be Misdiagnosed as Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that form in the uterus. They are not usually cancerous. More than 200,000 cases per year are diagnosed in the United States. This is much more than the 68,270 uterine cancer cases that are expected to be diagnosed this year. Sometimes, doctors diagnose the more common condition, rather than conducting additional investigations to determine the right condition.
Fibroids have many of the same symptoms as uterine cancer, including heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pressure, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, or frequent urination, but symptoms can vary. Because the symptoms are so similar, healthcare providers may mistake them for fibroids instead of the more serious condition of uterine cancer.
Also, women who are menstruating may be diagnosed with fibroids instead of endometrial cancer since most cases of endometrial cancer appear in older women.
Other Medical Conditions That Uterine Cancer May Be Mistaken For
Uterine and endometrial cancer can be misdiagnosed as other conditions besides fibroids. One of the most common misdiagnoses is uterine polyps, which are growths on the inner wall of the uterus that expand into the uterus. These polyps form due to the overgrowth of cells in the lining of the uterus, the endometrium. Most polyps are noncancerous, but some are precancerous in nature and can evolve into cancer.
Uterine polyps are usually a few millimeters to several centimeters in size and usually remain in the uterus. Symptoms of uterine polyps include the following:
- Vaginal bleeding after menopause
- Heavy periods
- Bleeding between periods
- Frequent and unpredictable periods
- Infertility
Many misdiagnoses occur because the patient’s real condition and the condition they are incorrectly diagnosed with share similar symptoms. For example, pain during intercourse could be diagnosed as vaginal dryness or vaginismus, which is a condition involving the involuntary contraction of vaginal muscles during intercourse. Painful intercourse can also be due to ovarian cysts or treated as a normal part of aging. But because it can also indicate cancer, it should not be dismissed.
Other conditions that patients may initially be diagnosed with when they have endometrial or uterine cancer include:
- Urinary tract infection
- Pelvic floor disorders
- Hemorrhoids
- Endometriosis
- Thinning vaginal tissue
- Hormonal changes
Dangers of Misdiagnosing Uterine Cancer
Like with most forms of cancer, early detection is critical to successfully treating cancer in the least invasive way possible. There is a 94.9% five-year survival rate for localized uterine cancer. However, this figure drops to 70.1% for regional and 19.9% for distant uterine cancer.
As the cancer spreads, survival odds drastically decrease, and more aggressive forms of treatment become necessary. Patients may be subjected to painful treatments and debilitating side effects that could have been easily avoided had their medical provider not misdiagnosed them.
Additionally, untreated uterine cancer can cause irregular ovulation, potentially resulting in infertility. This outcome can make it difficult or impossible to conceive, leading to the
need to use more expensive means of forming a family, or to give up on this dream
altogether.
What to Do If You Suspect Cancer
If you believe that your uterine cancer was dismissed as fibroids, you may be able to file a medical malpractice lawsuit or insurance claim to seek compensation for your damages. Take these steps to protect your legal rights and seek legal accountability:
- Seek a second medical opinion.
- Mention the onset of your symptoms and your suspicions to your new doctor.
- Request all of your medical records.
- Keep all receipts related to additional expenses you have incurred due to the misdiagnosis.
- Summarize your feelings in a daily pain journal.
- Speak with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
Contact Our Medical Malpractice Legal Team Today
Do you suspect that your uterine cancer diagnosis was delayed or missed because your healthcare provider dismissed your symptoms as fibroids? If so, you may have the right to file a medical malpractice claim and seek compensation for your damages, including your increased medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact Powers & Santola, LLP today to take advantage of a free, no-obligation consultation.
