What might Sam’s physician have done to improve this situation?

Sam’s throat bothered him, so he went to see his family doctor. After extensive tests his doctor sadly informed Sam that he had cancer that would eventually kill him. Sam was distraught and returned home to tell his family.
Although the doctor had suggested that the cancer was still in its early stages, Sam passed away two weeks later. On receiving the autopsy report, the doctor found that the cancer had not spread past Sam’s liver and one lung, clearly not enough to cause death. The doctor commented that Sam “died with cancer, but not from cancer.