Chicago Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer

If you or a loved one suffered due to a missed diagnosis, an experienced lung cancer misdiagnosis lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help.

A lung cancer misdiagnosis can have devastating consequences, leading to a delayed diagnosis, limited treatment options, and increased suffering. Lung cancer, when detected early, is more treatable, but if a doctor fails to recognize symptoms or misreads test results, the disease can progress to an advanced stage. 

Importance of Accurate Lung Cancer Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis is critical for lung cancer patients, as early detection significantly improves survival rates. When a physician fails to provide a proper lung cancer diagnosis, the disease may progress to an advanced stage, limiting treatment options and reducing life expectancy. Negligence in diagnosing cancer can result in unnecessary suffering and wrongful death.

Early Detection and Improved Survival Rates

Lung cancer treatment is more effective when detected before it spreads beyond the lungs. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for localized lung cancer is significantly higher than for advanced lung cancer stages. 

Screening, such as low-dose CT scans, can help identify cancer cells in their earliest stages, increasing the chances of a successful treatment. However, if a healthcare provider fails to recommend proper screening or misinterprets imaging tests, the opportunity for early diagnosis may be lost.

The Dangers of Delayed or Incorrect Diagnosis

A delayed cancer diagnosis allows lung cancer to progress, making treatment more difficult and reducing survival chances. Diagnostic errors, such as misreading medical tests or confusing symptoms with other illnesses, can lead to improper or delayed medical treatment. 

When a patient receives the wrong cancer diagnosis, they may undergo unnecessary procedures while the actual disease worsens. If a negligent physician fails to order additional tests or dismiss symptoms, it can lead to advanced-stage lung cancer cases that require more aggressive treatment with lower success rates.

Types of Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis

A lung cancer misdiagnosis can occur in several ways, each leading to delayed treatment and worsening health outcomes. Whether a doctor fails to recognize symptoms, misidentifies lung cancer as another illness, or delays necessary tests, the result can be life-threatening. Understanding these diagnostic errors can help patients recognize medical negligence and take legal action.

Failure to Diagnose Lung Cancer

A failure to diagnose cancer happens when a doctor overlooks symptoms or fails to recommend proper screening despite apparent risk factors. Patients with persistent coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, or unexplained weight loss may be misdiagnosed with minor respiratory conditions instead of being sent for further imaging. 

Healthcare providers must consider a patient’s cancer history, exposure to smoking, or family history of commonly misdiagnosed cancers like breast cancer, colon cancer, or prostate cancer. If a doctor acted negligently and dismissed warning signs, it could lead to a late cancer diagnosis, reducing the chances of successful treatment.

Misdiagnosis as Another Condition (e.g., Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Tuberculosis)

Lung cancer symptoms often resemble those of common respiratory illnesses, leading to misdiagnosis. Primary care physicians may mistake lung cancer for pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, or tuberculosis, prescribing antibiotics or inhalers instead of ordering necessary tests. 

Because early-stage lung cancer may not always appear obvious on a standard chest X-ray, a misdiagnosis can occur if a doctor does not follow up with CT scans, MRIs, or biopsies. Misdiagnosing lung cancer as a minor illness allows the disease to spread undetected, leading to advanced lung cancer cases that require more aggressive medical treatment.

Delayed Diagnosis

Even when a lung cancer diagnosis is eventually made, a delay in early detection can significantly impact a patient’s prognosis. A late diagnosis can allow cancer cells to spread to other organs, making treatment less effective. Patients who could have been treated with surgery or targeted therapy may now require chemotherapy or radiation for more advanced diseases. 

Healthcare providers have a duty to ensure timely diagnosis by ordering the correct imaging and following up on abnormal results. If a provider fails to act quickly, resulting in harm, victims may have grounds for a cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit.

Common Causes of Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis

A lung cancer misdiagnosis can occur due to negligence, leading to late diagnosis and worsening health outcomes. Doctors, radiologists, and pathologists must correctly interpret imaging tests, biopsies, and patient histories to ensure an accurate diagnosis. When medical providers fail in these responsibilities, cancer patients may face unnecessary suffering and limited treatment options.

Negligent Interpretation of Imaging Studies (X-rays, CT Scans)

One of the most common reasons for a misdiagnosis is radiology errors. Lung cancer screening relies on chest X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to detect cancer cells, but diagnostic errors can occur if a radiologist misreads these images. Small tumors may be mistaken for benign growths, scar tissue, or infections. 

In some cases, an abnormal finding is overlooked altogether, leading to a late diagnosis. When a medical provider fails to review imaging studies adequately, patients may lose critical time for early detection, allowing advanced lung cancer to develop before treatment begins.

Inadequate Biopsy Procedures or Misinterpretation of Results

A biopsy is one of the most definitive diagnostic methods, but mistakes in the procedure or analysis can lead to misdiagnoses. Pathologists examine tissue samples for cancer cells, but collection, handling, or interpretation errors can produce inaccurate results. 

Small cell lung cancer and other aggressive forms may be misclassified or go undetected if the sample is too small or taken from the wrong area. When a physician fails to order further testing after an inconclusive biopsy, it can result in a delayed diagnosis and progression of the disease, making treatment less effective.

Failure to Consider Patient History and Risk Factors

A thorough patient history is essential in diagnostics, but some healthcare providers overlook key risk factors. Smoking history, occupational exposure to toxins like asbestos, family history of cancer, such as cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, or kidney cancer, and underlying conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) should all raise concerns about possible lung cancer. 

A primary care physician who dismisses persistent coughing, chest pain, or shortness of breath without considering these factors may misdiagnose cancer as a minor respiratory illness. This type of medical negligence can allow the disease to spread undetected, reducing survival rates.

Failure to Order Appropriate Diagnostic Tests

When symptoms suggest possible lung cancer, doctors must order appropriate tests to confirm a diagnosis. Relying solely on X-rays instead of more detailed CT scans or failing to request a biopsy can lead to a misdiagnosis. 

Additional tests, such as PET scans or molecular testing, may be necessary for detecting specific types of lung cancer, including small-cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. 

If a doctor acts negligently by ignoring symptoms or delaying essential tests, a patient’s diagnosis may come too late for effective medical treatment. Victims of such errors may have grounds for a cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit.

Establishing Medical Negligence in Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Cases

To succeed in a lung cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit, a patient must prove that medical negligence led to their delayed or misdiagnosis of cancer. This requires demonstrating that a medical provider failed to follow the accepted standard of care, directly causing harm. Holding negligent medical professionals accountable can help victims recover compensation for their losses.

Breach of the Standard of Care

The standard of care refers to the level of skill and attention a competent medical professional should provide in a given situation. This includes recognizing cancer symptoms, ordering appropriate tests, correctly interpreting test results, and referring patients for timely treatment. 

If a doctor fails to follow established medical guidelines—such as delaying a screening, misreading a CT scan, or dismissing a patient’s risk factors—they may be considered negligent. A breach of the standard of care is a key element in proving medical malpractice claims.

Linking Negligence to Harm

Proving medical negligence requires showing that a doctor’s misdiagnosis directly harmed the patient. This means establishing that the late diagnosis allowed the disease to progress to a more advanced stage, making medical treatment less effective. 

For example, if a diagnosis was delayed due to misinterpreted imaging, the patient may have lost the chance for early detection and curative treatment. By demonstrating that negligence worsened the patient’s condition, an experienced cancer misdiagnosis attorney can help victims seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.

Compensation for Victims of Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis

A lung cancer misdiagnosis can lead to serious health consequences, financial hardship, and emotional distress. With the help of a medical malpractice attorney, victims of negligence may be entitled to compensation for both economic and non-economic damages, including:

• Medical expenses – Costs related to additional treatment, hospital stays, surgeries, and medications.
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity – Compensation for time missed from work or inability to return to employment.
• Pain and suffering – Physical pain, emotional distress, and diminished quality of life due to a delayed diagnosis.
• Loss of enjoyment of life – The impact of an advanced cancer diagnosis on daily activities and relationships.
• Wrongful death damages – If a missed diagnosis results in death, surviving family members may seek compensation for funeral costs and loss of financial support.

Illinois Statute of Limitations for Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

Illinois law limits patients’ time to file a medical malpractice lawsuit for a lung cancer misdiagnosis.

Under 735 ILCS 5/13-212, victims generally have two years from the date they discovered—or should have discovered—the cancer misdiagnosis to take legal action. However, no lawsuit can be filed more than four years after the negligence, regardless of when the misdiagnosis was realized.

The law allows minors to file lawsuits until their 22nd birthday if the malpractice occurred before they turned 18.

In wrongful death cases, surviving family members typically have two years from the date of death to file a claim.

Because delayed cancer diagnosis cases can be complex, it is essential to consult an experienced Chicago cancer misdiagnosis lawyer as soon as possible to ensure your case is filed within the required timeframe.

Why Choose Our Chicago Lung Cancer Misdiagnosis Law Firm?

At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, we understand how devastating a lung cancer misdiagnosis can be for patients and their families.

Our experienced Chicago misdiagnosis lawyers have a proven track record of handling medical malpractice cases, holding negligent healthcare professionals accountable, and securing victim compensation. We are committed to helping clients who have suffered due to a delayed cancer diagnosis, missed test results, or misinterpreted imaging.

We work with leading medical experts to review medical records, identify diagnostic errors, and build strong cancer misdiagnosis claims. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorney team thoroughly investigates each case, ensuring that we prove negligence and demonstrate the full impact of the misdiagnosis on your health and future.

Whether negotiating with insurance companies or taking your case to court, our medical malpractice lawyers fight aggressively to recover damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and wrongful death.

Reach Out Now for a Free Case Evaluation!

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a misdiagnosis of lung cancer, you deserve justice. At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, our experienced cancer misdiagnosis lawyers are ready to fight for you. We are committed to holding negligent doctors accountable and securing the compensation you deserve.

At our law firm, we believe in providing compassionate, personalized representation. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case. Call us at (888) 424–5757 or complete our contact form to schedule your free consultation with a Chicago personal injury lawyer.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.