Читать книгу Overcome the Challenges of Cancer Care - M. D. Rosenberg - Страница 10

Let’s go over a common clinical scenario. Bob notices a swollen gland in his neck. He notices slight discomfort with swallowing. He can see inside his mouth in the mirror, and his throat looks slightly red. But he figures he just has a virus and it will go away after a week or two. He has some soup and fluids and rests. His symptoms don’t go away, and he goes to the doctor. The doctor checks his neck and is slightly concerned. The doctor writes a prescription for antibiotics, thinking this is bacteria, not a virus, causing the swelling. The gland shrinks down after two weeks. Bob is back to his old self.

Sarah, who works with Bob, also notices a swollen gland in her neck. She has some pain in the area, and she figures it could be a virus. She gives it a week to get better, but it doesn’t. The swollen gland just gets bigger. She goes to the same doctor as Bob. The doctor figures there’s a strong possibility she caught the same bug, given that she works with Bob. She also has a red throat and some pain in the gland area. She is given the same antibiotics as Bob, but after three weeks, her swollen glands have only gotten bigger.

The doctor orders a biopsy. This involves taking a piece of tissue with a needle and looking at it under a microscope. The biopsy shows she has cancer. Sarah is frustrated, as she wasted one week at home and three to four weeks on antibiotics before the diagnosis of cancer.

It’s understandable why Sarah would be mad or distraught. But as you can see, it can be hard to distinguish between these two ailments based on symptoms.