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Missing Lung Cancer

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch HSIB have recently published an article about missed detection of lung cancer on chest x-rays. It reports that about 20% of lung cancers are missed resulting in a delay in diagnosis.

Tragically lung cancer is often incurable. As with many cancers the sooner it is identified, the sooner steps can be taken to treat and improve life expectancy.

Hopefully this report will result and enable the NHS to focus on how they spend the governments recently announced funding increases for diagnostic investigations and use it to replace scanners and improve staff training to avoid missing cancers.

Lung cancer is a very serious condition. If left untreated it can often spread and is frequently fatal. Scans need to be checked carefully to ensure that abnormalities are identified, and steps taken to investigate them. Missed scans are often picked up many months later when a patient deteriorates, or their symptoms worsen. By then it can be too late.

Failing to identify a suspicious shadow could be considered negligent. If it transpires that an earlier intervention would've made a difference to the outcome, there may well be the potential for a clinical negligence claim, not only to compensate the individual for any additional pain and suffering, but also to assist with the funding of any additional care and support that may be required if their condition deteriorates.

Here at Forbes our specialist clinical negligence team have experience of dealing with these types of cases. If you, a friend or loved one have been unfortunate enough to suffer a misdiagnosis of lung cancer please contact one of the team for some no-win, no fee, no obligation advice.

For more information contact John Bennett in our Clinical Negligence department via email or phone on 01254 872111. Alternatively send any question through to Forbes Solicitors via our online Contact Form.

Learn more about our Clinical Negligence department here

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