Lung cancer can be misdiagnosed as benign lung conditions
Many pulmonary diseases that occur as a consequence of asbestos exposure are very insidious, as the majority of people suffering from one experience no obvious symptoms until their illness becomes extremely severe.
In the event that symptoms are present, they are more or less the same for each disease, from asbestosis to lung cancer and other types of cancers, benign or malignant neoplasm, or metastases in the respiratory system they all have mild to severe symptoms in the lungs.
This way signs of lung cancer can easily be mistaken for those of more common respiratory conditions such as:
Considering all these aspects, it should not come as a surprise that asbestos victims are frequently misdiagnosed, even by medical experts. Receiving a wrong diagnosis can hinder your prognosis terribly since each disease stemming from asbestos exposure calls for a unique treatment approach. Additionally, it will also affect the financial compensation you can recover from asbestos trust funds, as the sum of money asbestos victims are eligible for depends primarily on their diagnosis. If you currently have a lung cancer diagnosis, we strongly advise you to seek a second opinion from a medical specialist that has previously diagnosed asbestos-related diseases. A third opinion is welcomed as well since these illnesses are complicated to correctly diagnose. Oftentimes, what is initially thought to be lung cancer is later proven to be mesothelioma or vice-versa. Benefiting from the expertise of multiple experts will not only help you avoid receiving a misleading diagnosis, but it may also result in a significantly larger amount of compensation.