Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2013 Mar;137(3):310-1. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2012-0512-ED.

Second opinions: pathologists' preventive medicine.

Allen TC.

Therapeutic options for cancer treatment are more tailored and more effective than ever before, and the molecular revolution promises to expand these treatment options even further. But the continued success of these therapeutic options depends upon accurate diagnoses. Indeed, in the emerging world of personalized medicine, misdiagnoses have an increasingly deleterious impact. Laura Landro’s1 Wall Street Journal article, ‘‘What if the Doctor is Wrong?’’ underscores the seriousness of pathologic (and radiologic, and clinical) misdiagnoses. One patient she speaks of in her article whose misdiagnosis was identified and corrected put it succinctly: ‘‘I felt like it was a miracle and I was spared from this unnecessary treatment.’’ 1