Missing Cancers

Been watching lots of beta gameplay footage on YouTube and this game is looking fantastic already. One worrying thing is the number of people coming in with symptoms suspicious of cancers and being discharged with other diagnoses. Just a lawsuit waiting to happen haha (actually is that a feature? Incorrect diagnosis leading to a lawsuit? Would be an interesting dynamic.)

Anyway back on track - I saw one patient who was 84 year old with bowel symptoms and weight loss who was diagnosed with IBS. No choice to investigate for bowel cancer with a colonoscopy. Another had B-symptoms and weight loss suspicious of a lymphoma and it wasn't an option for potential diagnosis.

Are cancers on the list of possible diagnosis? Also has any else seen any funny medical faux pas on gameplay videos?

Hello,
in the very first stage of development we have decided that there will be no "incurable" fatal diseases like cancer - as they are always connected with too much and longterm suffering (we have also excluded some case sensitive diagnoses groups). All diagnoses can be cured - also some "civilization diseases". The death represents consequence of inappropriate management, bad technical equipment, low skill of personel, etc. Also the death of the patient can be turned on or off - when turned off and certain patient would probably die, pop up message will appear to inform the player that this patients will be moved to another facility, where, maybe somebody could help him.

Because of this reason there are also no children, pregnant women - it is too sensitive.

Regarding the age of patients in gameplay - age and other characteristics are generated very randomly - by this time there is no feature that connects certain diseases with specific age groups.

The thing I've seen the most in the video is doctors having to make the differential diagnosis between golfer's elbow and tennis elbow. I'm no rheumatologist, but I think you don't really need the patient to have an MRI, because the difference is clinically obvious.

Now, concerning cancers, I fully understand the devs decision. However, this is a hospital simulation, and not-so-funny things are going to happen to patients. Besides, this is 2018, and nowadays some cancers have a very good prognosis; for example Hodgkin's Lymphoma has a >90% 5-year survival rate, that's far better than a brain stroke or an heart attack.

Well, "differential diagnosis" is one of the principles of the game - as you have mentioned, in reality there is obvious difference between golfer's and tennis elbow; but in the game this difference you can figure it out by using appropriate diagnosis techniques - i believe that there will not be only people with some medical backround playing (those differences could be obvious for doctors, medical stuff, but not for common players).

Regarding the cancer - the game will be moddable - so if anybody will need cancer diseases for more enjoyable gameplay - he/she/it could add them. But for the full release we will not implement them (btw this could elevate overall age rating of the game and that is not desirable at this time).

But there is also relatively long wishlist - if there will be many voices screaming for cancer, maybe, they will come in some future patch/DLC.

igor.oxymoron wrote:
in the very first stage of development we have decided that there will be no "incurable" fatal diseases like cancer

I guess they could have cancers that can be cured. Diagnose bowel cancer by colonoscopy or radiologically with a CT scan (CT abdo/pelvis or CT colonoscopy) and treat with chemo and surgery. But I totally get why you have left it out. Also interesting that by putting cancers increases the age rating haha (bloody PEGI/ESRB and their stupid rules).

igor.oxymoron wrote:
Because of this reason there are also no children, pregnant women - it is too sensitive.

I wouldn't say these are sensitive subjects. Cancers and terminal diseases fair enough but paediatrics and obs & gynae are core specialties in hospitals. Plus, I would enjoy seeing my medical staff deliver their first baby. To avoid the sensitivity part make all pregnancies uncomplicated (no miscarriages, post-partum haemorrhage, etc.), and the child diseases simple. Totally understand that's not day one release material but potentially a DLC down the line.

igor.oxymoron wrote:
Regarding the age of patients in gameplay - age and other characteristics are generated very randomly - by this time there is no feature that connects certain diseases with specific age groups.

That's a shame, I thought they would have been linked to aid diagnosis, e.g. differentials for chest pain in a 20 year old vs. a 50 year vary. But I guess that would bring another level of complexity to actually building the game.