Hospital Misses Lung Cancer Twice, Leading to Patient's Death; Another Patient Suffers Stroke Post-Surgery

Hyogo Prefectural Harima Himeji General Medical Center (Himeji City) announced on the 18th that it had overlooked nodules suspected of being lung cancer twice in a 70-year-old male patient from the prefecture who underwent surgery for another illness in 2022, due to doctor's carelessness and lack of coordination. The man was later diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and died in August 2024. The center will pay ¥8,911,000 to the man's bereaved family and seek reconciliation.

According to the Prefectural Hospital Bureau, the man underwent surgery at the former Himeji Circular Cardiovascular Center in January 2022, and a nodule about 1 cm in size was found in his lung during a CT scan. When he was hospitalized for another surgery at this center in March, the nodule had grown, and it was noted in his medical chart as 'suspicion of lung cancer,' but he was discharged without further investigation due to the attending physician's lack of confirmation. In May 2023, when he was urgently admitted for pneumonia, it was discovered that he had stage 3 lung cancer.

As a measure to prevent recurrence, the center has introduced a system to manage the reading of CT scan reports, including a checkbox for findings diagnosed as important.

Furthermore, the Harima Himeji General Medical Center announced that in February 2025, a 70-year-old female patient from the prefecture developed pulmonary embolism during surgery. Post-operatively, a stroke was also detected, leaving her with residual effects on her speech and mobility. It was stated that sufficient preventative measures against blood clots were not taken before the surgery. [Yuria Kiyama]