The question that you ask is an important one because once you have had skin cancer you may be more likely to get it again in the future. Once your cancer is fully in remission, you should still expect regular follow-up appointments with your doctor. The frequency of these appointments is dependent on the type of skin cancer you had and may be as often as every three months or as infrequent as every year. At these appointments, your doctor should ask about any symptoms you may be experiencing, conduct a physical examination and possibly order screening tests.
The failure to perform appropriate follow up care may be a form of cancer malpractice because future skin cancers may be misdiagnosed. The misdiagnosis of skin cancer during follow up care can have the same devastating effects as the failure to diagnose skin cancer initially. Your physical pain may increase, you may require more invasive treatments and your likelihood of survival may decrease.
For more information about cancer screenings and diagnoses, please read our FREE book: Cancer: Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Errors. If you believe that the failure to diagnose cancer has negatively impacted you, or a loved one, please contact an Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer at 1.770.518.1133.