Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis

You may come to Gillette & Izzo Law Office after a potential lung cancer misdiagnosis. The negligence of a medical professional not diagnosing or misdiagnosing your lung cancer has left you devastated. Treatment choices have been reduced due to misreporting or a lack of reporting the results.

Syracuse cancer lawyers Josh Gillette and Janet Izzo empower their clients to be their best advocates. When you meet them, they will educate you and provide the necessary knowledge to hold a negligent medical professional accountable.

Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Most lung cancers don’t cause symptoms until they’ve spread, but some people with early-stage lung cancer still present with symptoms. The earlier a doctor can recognize the symptoms, the greater the chance of the cancer being diagnosed earlier, where treatment may be more successful.

The American Cancer Society lists the most common symptoms of lung cancer:

• Cough that doesn’t go away or gets worse.
• Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm).
• Chest pain often worsens with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing.
• Weight loss and loss of appetite.
• Shortness of breath.
• Feeling tired or weak.
• Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia don’t go away or return.
• New onset of wheezing.

Usually, most of these symptoms are caused by a condition other than lung cancer. However, if you have any of these issues, you should see your doctor promptly to find the cause and get appropriate treatment.

Risk Factors for Lung Cancer

The primary cause of lung cancer is smoking, as well as exposure to second-hand smoke. Some people, however, have an elevated risk of developing lung cancer. This doesn’t necessarily mean a person will get cancer – it just means there is a higher risk. People with no risks at all can also develop lung cancer.

Lung cancer risk factors include:

• Exposure to radon,
• Exposure to asbestos,
• Exposure to chromium, diesel exhaust, and other toxins,
• Air pollution,
• Previous radiation therapy to the lungs,
• Family or personal history of lung cancer.

Failure to Diagnose Lung Cancer

In the majority of failure to diagnose lung cancer cases, liability often falls on the patient’s physician or radiologist. Delayed or missed diagnosis frequently occurs due to a medical professional misreading a chest x-ray or ignoring a recognized symptom of lung cancer.

Medical malpractice may have occurred in any of the following common scenarios:

• The doctor fails to order a follow-up test when a patient describes his or her symptoms – especially if the patient has risk factors.
• The radiologist doesn’t notice any abnormalities appearing on a chest x-ray.
• The doctor receives the x-ray with a report of abnormalities but fails to review it or order a biopsy to follow up.
• The doctor reviews the X-ray report but doesn’t communicate any abnormal results to the patient.

Be Your Proactive Advocate

If you have gone in for a lung screening, you must be proactive in getting the results. Assumptions and delays only limit your options and your life expectancy if you are diagnosed with lung cancer.

Protect your health by getting the answers you need. Assert your legal rights by having a documented copy of the findings.

Let An Experienced Cancer Attorney Be Your Ally

If you’re worried about who will take care of your family when you’re gone, or if you’re worried about how you’ll pay for your medical bills, learn more about the compensation you might be able to recover if your doctor failed to make a timely diagnosis of your lung cancer.

You probably have questions about your legal options in the future, and we are here to answer them all. We offer a free initial consultation regarding your lung cancer misdiagnosis. Complete our online intake form or call Gillette & Izzo Law Office in Syracuse at 315-421-1000.

At our Upstate New York law office, we take all cases involving a delayed lung cancer diagnosis or misdiagnosis on a contingency basis. This means that you do not pay us any legal fees unless we recover compensation in your case.