US Man Alleges MRI Mix-Up Nearly Derailed Cancer Treatment, Indian Surgeon Responds

A man from the United States has sparked a wave of conversation online after alleging a serious error by his oncologist that could have cost him his life. In a now-viral post on X, the patient said his doctor nearly stopped his chemotherapy treatment after misreading an outdated MRI report.

"My oncologist tried to stop my chemotherapy treatment last week based on a synopsis of my MRI, which stated that one of my brain tumours had progressed," he wrote. However, he later discovered that the doctor had mistakenly referred to a 2017 MRI report instead of the one from 2024.

"Once we accessed the correct images from last year, it was clear there was a reduction in the tumour size and loss of contrast, meaning the chemotherapy was actually working," he added.

The man, who remains anonymous, warned others to always question their diagnosis and never assume doctors are "infallible." "Had I simply trusted my doctor, I may have ended up undergoing a risky brain surgery unnecessarily," he wrote.

#Secondopinions and #more are vital to staying alive well in a #camcerjourney . Do remember to not treat them as an end in themselves. For timely #action is even more impactful. Seek #evidence by all means but be wary of clever distractive #marketting . # Thinkright #Actfast… https://t.co/L1dwY9rEyL

— Dr Sameer Kaul (@Samkaul) May 26, 2025

His post quickly gained traction on social media, with several people sharing similar experiences. He also commented on what he sees as a wider issue in the healthcare system, stating that "Americans are living through a crisis of competence."

Reacting to the post, Dr Sameer Kaul, a senior oncology surgeon at Apollo Cancer Centre in Delhi, stressed the importance of second opinions. Reposting the thread on X, he wrote:

"#Secondopinions and #more are vital to staying alive well in a #cancerjourney... Seek #evidence by all means but be wary of clever distractive #marketing. #ThinkRight #ActFast #TalkToYourBody."

A user shared their experience, "For sure you must be vigilant and be your own best advocate. For me (with an inoperable cns lymphoma - brain tumor) I am doing fantastic and would have skipped chemotherapy totally given what I have learned this past year. Glad to read you have found it helpful. Good luck in your battle."

"I'm so glad you caught this error and are seeing progress with your treatment-your story hits close to home. I'm a stage 4b colon cancer patient in remission, and I've had similar experiences with medical oversight. At Stanford, my nutritionist and oncologist pushed a high-sugar diet (protein shakes, ice cream) to focus on weight gain, despite evidence linking sugar to cancer progression-like a 2023 study from UCLA showing high glucose can fuel tumor growth. Another time, post-ablation, my MRI was misread as showing tumor expansion when it was actually just post-surgical changes, much like your MRI mix-up," another user shaed.