Lung cancer was once very difficult to treat. Currently, there are numerous types of medical care that can help people with lung cancer achieve remission. Chemotherapy, radiation and even cutting-edge immunotherapies can help people fight their cancer.
The earlier people with lung cancer obtain a diagnosis, the better their chances of making a full recovery. Unfortunately, some people with lung cancer experience diagnostic delays because doctors don’t order appropriate tests or misdiagnose their conditions. When that occurs, their prognosis can be far worse. Their treatment may also be much more invasive and costly.
How is it possible that doctors overlook something as serious as lung cancer?
Early cancer symptoms are generic
Lung cancer causes a variety of symptoms. People may notice that they lose weight without intending to or making any effort. They may develop a persistent cough. In some cases, they may cough up blood. Even small amounts of blood can be indicative of serious respiratory issues.
Fatigue and shortness of breath are other common symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer. Unfortunately, those symptoms can also be indicative of a host of other medical conditions.
Doctors generally need to rule out less-serious medical issues or order imaging tests and then biopsies to affirm the presence of cancer. If doctors rush through the diagnostic process or downplay a patient’s self-reported symptoms, diagnostic errors are possible.
A physician might fail to diagnose the patient or might wrongly determine that the cancer is merely a summer cold. Both the failure to diagnose a patient and a misdiagnosis can have dire implications for their chances of achieving remission.
The failure to follow appropriate diagnostic procedures is a common form of medical malpractice. Filing a malpractice lawsuit can potentially help those dealing with cancer-related diagnostic errors recoup some of their losses.