New York Times Writes about Pathologists’ Misdiagnoses of Breast Cancer Cases
Variability in the accuracy provided by pathologists at different hospital laboratories is highlighted…
Pathology misdiagnoses for selected types of breast cancer was the subject of a New York Times story this week. In recent days, Newsweek and several other newspapers across the nation picked up the theme and published their own stories centered on misdiagnoses of breast cancer.
Such extensive media coverage elevates public awareness of the role of pathologists in diagnosing disease—but, in this case, not in a positive way. However, media attention on these types of issues should not surprise pathologists and clinical laboratory managers. It is consistent with the trend of consumers becoming ever more educated and sophisticated in their knowledge of healthcare.
