A long wait for diagnosis after suspicious scan results

For Elizabeth, an NHS consultant, a routine scan led to her Stage 1 EGFR+ lung cancer diagnosis after months of uncertainty.

I’m 69 and work as an NHS consultant. I love spending time with friends and family, playing the cello, and travelling.

In 2023, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 EGFR+ lung cancer after a suspicious area showed up on a scan. Initially, doctors thought it might be an infection or a secondary cancer from the breast, so we waited for months, repeating scans to see if it would resolve. After eight months, I finally received the lung cancer diagnosis.

Despite the challenges, life carries on. I’m planning a trip to the Azores—a dream that had been delayed by the pandemic. Now that my treatment is finished apart from maintenance medication, I even managed to secure year-round travel insurance.

My message is simple: life can continue as usual, even with a diagnosis. There are many treatments available, and stability is possible. So, seize the day and live life to the fullest.

“Life can carry on as usual, even with a lung cancer diagnosis. There are good treatments and many possibilities to remain stable, if not disease-free.” Elizabeth

A long wait for diagnosis after suspicious scan results

For Elizabeth, an NHS consultant, a routine scan led to her Stage 1 EGFR+ lung cancer diagnosis after months of uncertainty.

“Life can carry on as usual, even with a lung cancer diagnosis. There are good treatments and many possibilities to remain stable, if not disease-free.” Elizabeth

Martin

Anita