Lung Cancer Medical Negligence Solicitors - UK Compensation Claim Lawyers
There are two main forms of this disease: non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is the most common form; and small cell lung cancer that makes up about twenty percent of all cases. When a patient has lung cancer that consists of both types it is called mixed small cell/large cell lung cancer. When the cancer has spread to the lungs from somewhere else in the body it is referred to as metastatic lung cancer. Late diagnosis or mis-diagnosis of lung cancer may be due to medical negligence and give rise to a personal injury compensation claim for damage and loss.
Lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer for women and for men. Every year, more people die of lung cancer than other forms of cancer combined including breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
Lung cancer is more common in older adults over the age of forty five; it is quite rare in younger individuals. The main cause of lung cancer has been attributed to cigarette smoking. The heavier a smoker a patient is, and the earlier the patient started smoking, the higher the risk for developing this disease. There has been no clinical proof that switching to low tar cigarettes lowers a person�s risk of developing lung cancer. Lung cancer can also occur in people who have never been a smoker as well.
Breathing the smoke from other people, known as secondhand smoke, also increases the risk of developing lung cancer. It is estimated that as many as three thousand non smoking adults die each year from lung cancer from breathing in secondhand smoke.
Risk Factor
Other factors that increase the risk of someone developing lung cancer include:
Symptoms
Symptoms of lung cancer can vary somewhat but may include: difficulty breathing, hoarse voice, coughing, chronic chest infections, a loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing, dull aches, sharp pains, unexplained weight loss, extreme lethargy or fatigue. Late diagnosis or mis-diagnosis of lung cancer may be due to medical negligence and give rise to a personal injury compensation claim for damage and loss.
Diagnosis
People who present with these symptoms should seek prompt medical care and request a chest x-ray to find out what is going on. If a medical professional does not act in the earliest stages, medical negligence may have taken place, and could lead to a complete misdiagnosis. In the event the check x-ray suggests lung cancer, the patient should be referred to a specialist for more in depth examinations and treatments. Appropriate treatments may include chemotherapy, surgery, radiofrequency ablation, radiotherapy, and cancer growth inhibitors. Other treatments that may be ordered but are less common include antiangiogenesis drugs, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy, and diathermy. After treatment has been preformed the doctor should take the time to schedule follow up appointments that include chest x-rays to ensure the cancer is gone, and to monitor for any new signs of a recurrence. If this happens, treatment should be administered immediately. The sooner a proper diagnosis is made, the better the chances for a complete recovery. Late diagnosis or mis-diagnosis of lung cancer may be due to medical negligence and give rise to a personal injury compensation claim for damage and loss.
Lung Cancer Medical Negligence Solicitors
If you or someone you know has suffered because of a lung cancer misdiagnosis, do not wait to seek legal help. Our team of medical negligence solicitors is here to help you and has a wide variety of resources at their disposal. All of our cases are taken on a no win no fee* basis. We operate the no win no fee* scheme otherwise known as a conditional fee agreement. No legal charge is payable unless the legal case is won and the client obtains an award of compensation. In the event that the legal claim is lost there is no charge made to the client. Do not wait to seek the justice you deserve. Please call, email, or use the contact form on this website to contact us today. Your case will be reviewed for free, with no further obligation.
Lung Cancer Overview
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the UK. This is true in both men and women. It is also the most preventable types of cancer. Around 4 out of 5 cases of lung cancer are directly related to smoking. Smoking became popular in the 1920s and many people smoked. Twenty years later, the incidence of lung cancer soared. In the 1940s, women smoked in increasing numbers and twenty years later, the incidence of lung cancer increased in women.
There are several types of non-small cell lung cancer. There is squamous cell lung cancer, making up about 30 percent of all lung cancer. It is the easiest to detect early and is the most curable if found early enough. It tends to spread relatively slowly and doesn�t metastise easily.
Adenocarcinoma is the most common kind of lung cancer, accounting for 40 percent of all cancers. It occurs in former or current smokers. It is the most common type of lung cancer found in non-smokers. It is more common in women and is more likely to spread to distant organs and lymph nodes.
Large cell carcinomas have large, abnormal cells that occur on the outskirts of the lungs. They account for 10-15 percent of all non-small cell cases. It has a high risk of metastasis to other organs or to lymph nodes.
Small cell cancers have a high mortality rate but can be cured with chemotherapy. It is rarely treated with radiotherapy or surgery and is often found near the top of the lungs.
Doctors have an obligation to look for lung cancer if a patient presents with some of these symptoms:
- Mass in the abdomen
- Swollen lymph nodes above the scapula
- Poor breathing
- Abnormal breath sounds
- Dull sound when tapping on the chest
- Unequal pupils
- Abnormal nails
- Droopy eyelids
- Weakness in an arm
- Swollen veins in the neck, arms or chest
- Swollen face
A few cases of lung cancer produce abnormally high levels of hormones or things like calcium. If a blood test shows high calcium, think of the possibility of lung cancer and proceed with diagnostic evaluation. Sometimes metastatic disease is found before primary tumours so if they are found, do a chest x-ray to look for the primary tumour.
By the time there are symptoms, the tumour can usually be picked up on x-ray. A CT scan can be confirmatory as it is a more detailed test for cancer of the lungs. A lung biopsy makes the type of cancer confirmed. Biopsy can be a bronchoscopic biopsy if the cancer is near the bronchioles or bronchi; it can also be an open biopsy if the tumour is on the outside of the lungs. Other tests check to see how far the cancer has spread. Nearby lymph nodes are evaluated for cancer and CT scans of the body, PET scans, bone scans and MRI scans can be done of the brain to check for brain metastases. A mediastinoscopy can look for lymph node involvement beneath the sternum.
Fluid can be present in the lining of the lung and this fluid can be checked for cancer cells via a needle biopsy.
Four types of surgical treatment are performed: There is a wedge resection in which a triangle shaped slice of tissue is taken. A lobectomy removes the whole lobe of a lung. A pneumonectomy removes one whole lung and a sleeve resection removes only part of the bronchus.
Radiation uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. There is external radiation therapy and internal therapy, which uses radioactive substances in seeds, needles, wires or catheters that are placed near the cancer and can kill cancer cells locally.
Chemotherapy uses medications that kill rapidly growing cells, such as cancer cells. The chemicals reach the cancer cells wherever they are in the body and kill them.
The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here