A recent blog post discussing second opinions focused on a theoretical patient who was misdiagnosed with cancer and was not helped by a second opinion since it was based on the original biopsy which had been mistakenly switched with another patient's biopsy results. This happened in the case of Darrie Eason, a 35-year old single mother who mistakenly had both breasts removed after a lab mix-up led to her cancer misdiagnosis. When appearing on Good Morning America and asked what could be learned from this, Eason, who herself sought a second opinion, responded "Maybe it's that second opinions are good but second biopsies are better."
In some cases, second biopsies may be necessary when an original biopsy doesn't provide enough detail to make a conclusive diagnosis. However, why should a patient like Darrie Eason be subjected to a second biopsy when seeking a second opinion for the purpose of confirming that the original biopsy belonged to her? This raises many questions about the biopsy evaluation process. It is a complex process with numerous steps and individuals involved (click here for more information), and it is inevitable that errors will occur at some point in this process. Further, research shows that these errors cannot be eliminated by procedural improvements alone (click here for more information).
The know error® specimen security system, introduced in 2009 by Diagnostic ID, LLC, provides a solution to ensure second opinions do not have to mean second biopsies. The know error® system uncovers patient identification errors by matching tissue from a positive biopsy result to a reference sample taken from a patient via a simple cheek swab to confirm that the tissue belongs to the patient. By peforming DNA matching prior to treatment, the know error® system assures that biopsy switching errors will be detected prior to any adverse patient outcomes.
With the know error® system, a patient and her physician can rest assured that her diagnosis is based on her biopsy results for first AND second opinions. For more information about the know error® specimen security system with unique patient code and DNA confirmation, please visit our web site at www.knowerror.com.
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