A study presented at the November 2010 American Association of Cancer Research’s annual conference suggests that lung cancer in smokers and lung cancer in nonsmokers may actually be two different diseases. This discovery may prove critical for treatment, but it should also force doctors to recognize that nonsmokers can also develop this deadly disease and that a misdiagnosis of lung cancer can significantly impact their chances of survival.
One member of the Lung Cancer Foundation of America's scientific advisory board has said that nonsmokers tend to be take longer to diagnose with lung cancer because physicians don’t suspect that they have it.* Moreover, lung cancer is the 7th most deadly type of cancer among people who have never smoked, according to the American Cancer Society.
If you or a loved one has suffered because of a doctor’s failure to diagnose lung cancer, please contact an Atlanta medical malpractice attorney today at 1.770.518.1133 or via our online contact form. You can also read our free report about lung cancer, Lung Cancer: The Risks, The Signs, Diagnosis and Treatment for more information.
*Source: Businessweek, Lung Cancer in Smokers, Nonsmokers May Be a Different Disease, Jennifer Goodwin, November 9, 2010