Medical Malpractice Failure to Diagnose Cancer, Failure or Inaccurate chest x-Ray

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE LUNG CANCER CLAIMS
Tumors Missed on Chest-X-Ray Overview

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keywords, medical malpractice, cancer, missed diagnosis, medical malpractice lawyer, claim, delayed diagnosis of cancer, x-ray interpretation, missed x-ray, medical malpractice lawyer, x-ray missed interpretation.

A. X-Ray Misinterpretation Overview

A patient may be harmed by a physician's or hospital's failure to diagnose cancer in a timely fashion. Failure to diagnose lung cancer cases typically involves three scenarios:

Failure to take a chest-x-ray
Inaccurate interpretations of a chest x-ray,
Failure to follow-up with CT Scan or other diagnostic tools when a pulmonary problem was seen.

Chest x-rays are difficult to read and require more than a fair amount of skill to accurately interpret. Some internists, general physicians and pulmonologists read the x-rays on their own, without seeking a professional review by a radiologist skilled in the area. When that one cm tumor, but a faint line on an x-ray is missed and treatment is delayed, the patient's chances for long-term survival have been compromised.

Closely related is the failure to obtain necessary follow-up. Perhaps the x-ray, even as interpreted by the radiologist is vague. Exactly what a spot or shadow represents can be unclear. Ct Scan and to some extent MRI are far more reliable means of diagnosis than the simple chest x-ray. When the physician fails to obtain the necessary follow-up tests, there may be medical malpractice.

B. X-Ray, Interpretative Problems

Exactly, what can be detected in a chest x-ray is discussed in a publication called Standard of Care:

"The smallest nodular lesion that can be seen on a chest radiograph is 3 to 4 mm. The median diameter of missed lesions on CXR’s is 13-16mm. The missed lesion rate decreases as lesions increase in size. The detection of pulmonary lesions is related directly to the degree of blur of the margin of the pulmonary nodules. The sharper the border of a lung nodule the greater the likelihood of recognition by the radiologist.

Radiographs of the chest consist of both lateral and posterior-anterior films. Some controversy exists as to whether lateral chest x-rays are necessary. Since small numbers of lesions can only be seen on the lateral view a program designed for screening for lung cancer would require both images to detect and locate lung lesions.

Lung lesions that have features which suggest the presence of malignancy include spiculated margins, lesions greater than 3cm in size, doubling time between 1 and 18 months, and lobulation. In addition, there are a variety of lung changes that suggest the presence of an underlying malignancy and include pneumonia, atelectasis or fluid accumulation. Pneumonia that fails to resolve after adequate treatment can suggest the presence of an underlying lung cancer.

In many instances a lung lesion is diagnosed in patients who are evaluated in an asymptomatic state. On other occasions, the lung lesion may be diagnosed in patients who are being evaluated because of the presence of respiratory symptoms that may or may not be related to a pulmonary lesion."

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LINKS

Failure to diagnose cancer, doctor's defenses Malpractice and standard of care
Failure to Detect Lung Cancer claims
What is cancer (chapter one from our upcoming book, A Complete Guide to Lung Cancer)
medical malpractice and standard of care (a journal discussing medical malpractice standards of care including failure to diagnose cancer)
New York medical malpractice claims

medical malpractice lung cancer claims    cancer malpractice statute of limitations
New York Cancer Malpractice claims       medical malpractice and clinical practice guidelines
New Jersey cancer malpractice claims     medical malpractice liability
Medical malpractice jury instruction      New York Medical malpractice law
medical malpractice pre-existing cause    workers' compensation doctor liability for malpractice
cancer, malpractice and informed consent

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Law Offices of Howard A. Gutman,
230 Route 206, Mount Olive, New Jersey 07836
(973) 598-1980, E-mail Howian@aol.com

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New York, New York 10165 (212) 886-4838

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keywords: medical malpractice, claim, attorney, failure to diagnose cancer, negligence, malpractice, delayed diagnosis, standard of care,
missed diagnosis, New Jersey medical malpractice lawyer, New York medical malpractice lawyer.

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About Us

Mr. Gutman is the author of lung cancer and mesothelioma, 480 page book which reviews chemotherapy, gene therapy, radiation, treatment for lung cancer, and medical malpractice questions. He served as a caregiver for a family member with lung cancer, was a member of the board of directors of a leading cancer support group, and is an attorney specializing in lung cancer legal issues. He combines the intellectual knowledge of someone who handles issues of lung cancer with the personal approach of someone who has dealt with cancer and confronted many of the difficult questions patients and family members confront.