What consequence should he face? Doctors are still people and can absolutely make stupid mistakes just like the rest of us. Any serious diagnosis should always lead to getting a second (or even third!) opinion.

That's a tough question. But right now it is near impossible for them to face any consequences. Even writing about them publicly can result in libel lawsuits. But MD Anderson's team (they don't assign a single doctor to a case) saw the cancer was on a different organ from the same tests that the original doctor used, obviously that doctor made a mistake that could have resulted in my friends death. It would be fair if these mistakes added up like points on your drivers license (adjusted for the difficulty of your medical field). Of course just reforming state medical boards to no longer put protecting doctors as their primary mission, but protecting patients first would be a step in the right direction.