Hospital misinterpreted a scan of patient with lung cancer

Mr A had a scan at a hospital trust that showed abnormalities, but which the Trust said was clear.

What happened

Mr A had been feeling unwell and suffering from a persistent cough and chest pain. He went to the Trust and was given a scan, which the Trust said was clear. However, another scan at the Trust less than two months later showed that he had lung cancer and secondary cancers in his liver and spine. Mr A died around two months later.

Mrs A complained to the primary care trust (the PCT). It obtained the opinion of an independent radiologist on the first scan, which the Trust had said was clear. The independent radiologist concluded that the first scan had shown abnormalities suggesting cancer.

When PCTs were abolished in April 2013, NHS England took over the PCT's responsibility for handling the complaint. It told Mrs A that the independent radiologist whose opinion the PCT had obtained had some concerns about how the Trust had reported the first scan.

What we found

The Trust should have identified the abnormality on the first scan when it first reported on this. When the Trust wrote to Mr A's GP about the second scan, it should

have emphasised that the cancer had spread to Mr A's spine, but it did not do so.

NHS England was not open and accountable in handling the complaint because it did not tell Mrs A about the independent radiologist's conclusion that the first scan had shown abnormalities suggesting cancer.

Putting it right

We recommended that the Trust and the NHS England apologise to Mrs A. We also recommended that the Trust should put in place a plan to address the failings we identified.