A cancer misdiagnosis of any sort is extremely concerning. After the shock and distress, you might be considering seeking compensation from the medical professional at fault. Here at Accident Claims, we understand how daunting lung cancer misdiagnosis claims can be, so we’ve put together this guide to help you understand the process.
Key Takeaways
- Your claim could be made against the NHS or a private clinic.
- Every medical professional must provide care and treatment that meets a minimum standard.
- Various other illnesses could be mistaken for lung cancer when minimum professional standards are not met.
- A delayed cancer diagnosis may require more aggressive treatment.
- The solicitors here at Accident Claims provide a No Win No Fee service.
Read on to learn more. Or you can connect with our advisory team right now for a free assessment of your claim. If it qualifies and you want to go ahead, they can connect you with our expert medical negligence solicitors. See if you can get help for your lung cancer misdiagnosis claim today:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Start a claim online here.
- Ask a question in the chat window below about lung cancer misdiagnosis claims and get an immediate response from our advisors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I Claim If My Lung Cancer Was Misdiagnosed?
- How Might Negligence Result In A Misdiagnosis Of Lung Cancer?
- What Are The Common Symptoms Of Lung Cancer
- What Illnesses Might Be Misdiagnosed As Lung Cancer?
- The Impacts Of Lung Cancer Negligence
- No Win No Fee Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
- Learn More
Can I Claim If My Lung Cancer Was Misdiagnosed?
You most certainly can claim for a lung cancer misdiagnosis if you meet the 3 medical negligence claims criteria. Whether you received treatment from an NHS or a private healthcare provider, those involved automatically owe you a duty of care. This duty of care is a legal obligation that means they must meet the professional standards reasonably expected of any other medical professional.
With this in mind, the following 3 criteria can be used as a basis for medical negligence claims:
- Did medical professional(s) have a duty of care to you at the moment of harm?
- Did the medical professional(s) breach their duty of care to you?
- Did this cause unnecessary or avoidable harm as a result? (This is harm that would not have occurred had the correct care been administered.)
With all 3 criteria in place, your compensation claim could be considered valid.
How Is Lung Cancer Diagnosed?
Lung cancer is typically diagnosed in the following ways:
- An initial assessment by a GP is used to check symptoms such as a persistent cough, chest pain and coughing up blood.
- GPs can use a device called a spirometer to check lung capacity and order blood tests to rule out other conditions.
- Chest X-rays and imaging tests are often used to detect any shadows or masses on the lungs that might indicate lung cancer.
- CT scans can provide detailed images of the lungs to pinpoint the size and location of the tumour. Alongside this, PET-CT scans are often used to detect cancerous cells.
- If lung cancer is suspected, a biopsy is taken. This involves the removal of a small part of the tumorous lung for laboratory analysis.
- A bronchoscopy procedure may be used. This involves the insertion of a thin tube with a camera into the airways to visualise the lung more clearly and collect tissue samples. (Ultrasound and needle biopsies are other ways to explore the lung in more depth.)
- Thoracoscopy procedures also allow a doctor to take tissue and fluid samples by entering through the chest cavity. Similarly, a mediastinoscopy lets the doctor examine the area between your lungs. Both procedures require a general anaesthetic.
Please speak with our advisory team about lung cancer misdiagnosis claims. They can help assess whether you have good grounds to seek compensation.
How Might Negligence Result In A Misdiagnosis Of Lung Cancer?
With the detailed diagnosis and treatment options for lung cancer explained, we now look at scenarios where a misdiagnosis could arise:
- A specialist failed to consult the patient’s notes fully and didn’t refer the patient for essential diagnostic tests.
- In an initial consultation, a GP failed to ask the right questions about a patient’s symptoms, and a delay occurred in correctly diagnosing the lung cancer.
- X-rays, scans and blood test results were misinterpreted by medical staff.
- The hospital confused patient notes, and an incorrect diagnosis was given (and wrong care administered as a result).
- The patient suffered additional harm while receiving incorrect medical attention. For example, the insertion of a tube during an unwarranted thoracoscopy injured the lung tissue.
- Lung cancer was incorrectly diagnosed and chemotherapy treatment was given. This made the patient needlessly ill while the real illness was not treated.
Negligence can occur in a variety of ways and you may not see what happened to you in the list above. However, you could still have a valid claim. Get in touch with our advisory team now to discuss what happened to you and find out more about lung cancer misdiagnosis claims.
What Are The Common Symptoms Of Lung Cancer
According to the NHS resource, the common symptoms of lung cancer are as follows:
- A cough that persists for more than 3 weeks.
- A long-standing cough that worsens.
- Chest infections that keep returning.
- Coughing up blood.
- An ache in the chest when breathing or coughing.
- Persistent breathlessness.
- Tiredness or lack of energy that is persistent.
- A loss of appetite or unexplained loss of weight.
Please note that the NHS states there are typically no symptoms in the early stages and they will develop as the condition progresses.
Some other less common symptoms include:
- Clubbing or curving in the shape of the fingers.
- Difficulty or pain when swallowing.
- A hoarse voice.
- Wheezing.
- Swelling in the face or neck.
- Persistent chest or shoulder pain.
Always consult a medical professional for precise advice about your symptoms.
What Illnesses Might Be Misdiagnosed As Lung Cancer?
There are a number of illnesses that can be misdiagnosed as lung cancer because they share certain overlapping symptoms. For example:
- Seasonal allergies and common colds.
- Respiratory infections like influenzas.
- Acid reflux.
- Asthma.
- Pneumonia.
- Tuberculosis.
- Pulmonary embolism.
- Mesothelioma.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Bronchitis.
Because lung cancer shares symptoms with so many other illnesses, especially at early stages, a thorough and expert evaluation should always take place. However, it’s important to note that medical conditions can change and worsen despite the patient receiving the best level of care.
It’s useful to clearly establish at the start what grounds your claim might have for going forward. We can help with this. Simply call or connect with our advisors for a free, no-obligation case check, and they can take it from there.
The Impacts Of Lung Cancer Negligence
The impacts of negligent medical care, such as a lung cancer misdiagnosis, can be very serious and far-reaching. Some repercussions of misdiagnosed lung cancer can include:
- The need for invasive treatments like radiation and chemotherapy.
- Repeated surgeries and hospital stays.
- Permanent disability and damage to the quality of life.
- Psychological trauma for the patient (and a continued emotional toll on their family).
- An increase in expenses relating to care and rehabilitation.
- A reduced chance of survival or a reduction in life expectancy.
The cumulative effect of these impacts can be devastating. Although compensation could never replace the lost health or peace of mind, it could help the person and their family face the future more confidently. Speak to an advisor today to find out how much compensation for lung cancer misdiagnosis claims. They can also provide a free estimate of the value of your claim based on your unique circumstances.
What Are The Treatment Options For Lung Cancer?
There are several treatment options for a person with lung cancer, based on how severe and advanced the condition is:
- Surgery – This involves removing a small section of the lung that has a tumour, or in some cases, removing a more significant portion.
- A lobectomy – This is the removal of the entire lung.
- Radiotherapy – The use of high-energy rays to target and kill cancerous cells either before or after surgery, or if surgery is not a suitable option.
- Chemotherapy – The use of specific drugs and medications to destroy cancer cells.
- Targeted therapies – These treatments combat genetic mutations in cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy – Uses the body’s immune system to combat cancer cells.
Cancer research and treatments are constantly evolving. In addition to these treatments, laser therapy techniques and light-sensitive drugs (photodynamic therapy) are available. Also, treatments that include breathing exercises can help improve lung capacity, recovery and a patient’s quality of life.
The key to effective cancer treatment is early detection. So, if you’re dealing with the impacts of lung cancer negligence, speak to us about a compensation claim today.
No Win No Fee Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
At Accident Claims, we can help eligible readers start lung cancer misdiagnosis claims in a No Win No Fee capacity. Our solicitors can offer people a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) as an option to fund their services. Working this way means that there is no need to pay upfront solicitor’s fees to start work together.
Under a CFA contract, no solicitor’s fees apply as work on the claim goes forward. In addition to this, if the claim is unsuccessful, no solicitor’s fees apply for their completed services.
Successful claim outcomes require a success fee for the solicitors, which is a small percentage that will be deducted from the compensation. A law called the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 keeps this percentage low. So working this way provides the comfort of knowing that your claim is in excellent hands and that you will receive almost all of the compensation if it wins.
Start by contacting our friendly team of advisors. They can determine whether your medical negligence claim has a high probability of being successful in one call.
Contact Accident Claims
Reach out to our advisors in the following ways:
- Call us on 0800 073 8801
- Start a claim online here.
- Also, you can ask the chat window below a question about lung cancer misdiagnosis claims for an immediate response.
Learn More
The additional links below come from both our website and some external resources:
- This guide looks at compensation claims after delays in treatment.
- Read about cancer misdiagnosed as adenomyosis claims.
- Also, you can read about clinical medical negligence claims more broadly.
- This NHS link gives information about its lung cancer screening programme.
- In addition, this resource from the General Medical Council (GMC) explains some expected professional standards for practitioners.
- Lastly, you can read about getting copies of your medical records here.
In conclusion, thank you for reading our guide on lung cancer misdiagnosis claims, and please reach out to advisors if you need any further help.
