Risk

For visitors who are practising medicine, you may think my concern is an exaggeration, and there are good reasons to issue comprehensive reports that mention each and every possibility.

First, this is a form of protective medicine. By listing all possibilities, the radiologist (or pathologist in other circumstances) could save themselves from the risk of missing a diagnosis, which may have a legal consequence.

Moreover, if you are in the private practice, it is always a good idea to suggest additional diagnosis to be excluded. Uncertainty means opportunity; anxiety creates business.

Unfortunately, this approach often backfires. By saying “there are inflammatory changes”, we understand by common sense that a tumor could be so small that it is not detected. However, by pointing out the very fact that “a tumor could be so small that it is not detected” in the report, the one who writes the report implies that he does believe there is a real risk of having a small tumor.