Thursday, September 20, 2007

Woman Claims Doctor 'Spilled' Cancerous Tissue into Stomach

It's nice to see that this kind of information is getting out to the public. It's a known fact that MOST cancer surgeries involve "tumor spill" but you never hear about it from your doctors unless you really press them on it. With that being said - surgery is NEVER without risk although tumor removal is portrayed as some kind of "answer" to the problem. This is also why they often treat the surgical site with radiation after surgery because they KNOW the chance is very high that some cancer cells were "spilled" into the area during removal.

THIS is why I did not choose surgery from my breast cancer lump. I prefer to let my body handle the problem. There are cases when surgery is the ONLY option though and to anyone who is in that situation I would advise being honest with yourself about the spill problem and don't treat the surgery as a neat and clean cancer removal operation.

Any time you are dealing with cancerous tumors you *must* improve your immune system to fight it and you as healer are the most important factor in your healing - not some doctor with a scalpel. Improving your immune system involves more than just taking vitamins. It is a LIFESTYLE change and one that puts your health above all else. It involves listening to your body and giving it what it needs in the way of sleep, exercise, play, food etc...

DES MOINES, Iowa — A woman is suing her gynecologist for allegedly not telling her that he accidentally cut open a tumor he removed from her ovary, spilling cancerous tissue in her abdomen and causing her cancer to spread.

The lawsuit, filed in Polk County District Court by Lavonne Schroeter, alleges that Dr. Curtis Hoegh's negligence during and after the operation "will cause her premature death." The lawsuit also names his employer, Iowa Health Physicians and Clinics, as a defendant.

The 53-year-old Schroeter says the Des Moines doctor removed her tumor in 2002, but he never mentioned it was cancerous or discussed any mishaps during surgery. However, Hoegh had Schroeter undergo an electronic scan after a blood test raised concerns three years later, and more growths were found.

Another surgeon removed several cancerous tumors and prescribed medication, but the cancer continued to spread, the lawsuit states. Last year, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told her that Hoegh had accidentally cut into her tumor and caused the spread of the cancer, which is terminal but treatable, according to the lawsuit.

Schroeter's lawyer, Roxanne Conlin of Des Moines, says the Mayo doctor found out about the mistake by reading her client's medical records.

Hoegh's "negligence was a proximate cause of injuries and damages to (Schroeter)," the lawsuit states.

Dr. Mark Barnhill, the group's medical director, says Hoegh and the clinic had not been served with the legal papers and could not comment on the allegations.

In a brief statement, Barnhill called Hoegh "a competent and caring physician who has served our community for 20 years."