Lung Cancer Claims

This can lead to delays in lung cancer being treated and diagnosed and there may be a claim for medical negligence.

Claims can also arise if, for example, there was a failure to recognise potential cancer symptoms by a GP or hospital doctor and to make a referral to a specialist or for further tests. Errors can also occur in terms of interpretation of test results and in surgery to remove cancerous lung tissue – such as leaving some diseased tissue in situ.

Symptoms of lung cancer typically include a cough and coughing up blood but can include breathlessness, recurrent chest infections, fatigue and weight loss. The prognosis for lung cancer is better the earlier the stage when it is diagnosed. By stage 4, according to Cancer Research UK only 5% of people will live for 5 years or more after diagnosis.  Therefore, delays in diagnosis can have a very serious result.

To bring a claim for a delay in diagnosis of lung cancer it will need to be shown that the delay was negligent and that this impacted on the outcome i.e. the cancer was diagnosed at a later stage than it should have been and will require more intensive treatment or that life expectancy has been impacted. Short delays may not be sufficient to show that the outcome was affected.