Updated March 30th, 2022

A Former Paramedic, 48, Is Tragically Diagnosed with Advanced Lung Cancer After an 8-Month Delay to See His Doctor Because of COVID-19

In March 2020, Steve McGregor started having breathing difficulties and had to wait until May to get his chest X-Ray-ed; due to COVID-19 it took him 8 months to see his doctor, and he received a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer when he did.

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Advanced Cancer Diagnosis During COVID-19

Steve McGregor, a 48-year-old retired paramedic began having breathing difficulties early this year, but it took 8 months for an in-person appointment with his GP, due to COVID-19.
McGregor was diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer; treatment for this disease includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and sometimes, surgery.
It’s important to be an advocate for your health and be “pushy” when necessary, experts tell SurvivorNet.

Steve McGregor, a 48-year-old former paramedic in England and father-of-one, was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer after he had to wait 8 months for an appointment with his GP, due to COVID-19 related delays. McGregor is one of many who has had to have a diagnosis or treatment plan delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Daily Mail reported that McGregor started having breathing difficulties in March but had to wait until May to get an X-Ray, and he was told there was nothing wrong with him. But due to his medical background, McGregor had a sense that something was wrong. “I noticed changes in my breathing which were quite concerning,” he said. “I felt like I couldn’t inflate the upper left lung. I felt like I couldn’t oxygenate effectively.” McGregor later got another scan in November after waiting many months to see his doctor and he was told he had advanced lung cancer.

Steve McGregor and his family. Credit: Stoke-Sentinel

Lung Cancer Treatment Options

Treatment options for lung cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. The treatment path will be determined based on a patient’s prognosis and the stage of their cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (a fast-growing type of the disease, which is often caused by smoking) treatment may also include palliative procedures, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Non-small cell lung cancer can include treatments such as targeted drug therapy and radiofrequency ablation, according to the ACS. For people with advanced lung cancer, like McGregor, it typically means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, or metastasized.

For some patients with advanced lung cancer, their treatment plan may focus on maintenance meaning, stopping the cancer from spreading farther in the body. This type of lung cancer is typically treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy. Patients who are battling lung cancer during COVID-19 should exercise extra caution when it comes to following the CDC’s COVID-19 safety guidelines (i.e. washing your hands, practicing social distancing, and wearing a mask).

Dr. Karen Reckamp, the Director of the Division of Medical Oncology at Cedars-Sinai, said in a previous interview, “For our patients with lung cancer, they are not at more risk for developing COVID-19. But because most patients who have lung cancer and have had treatment or are receiving treatment for lung cancer have some compromise to their lung function, we are concerned about the possibility of the COVID-19 developing into pneumonia or respiratory illness that may cause more severe illness for patients who have lung cancer.”

“At this time, for patients with lung cancer or any type of cancer, still, the best thing we can do is to keep to ourselves,” said Dr. Reckamp, “and keep to the small groups of people that we are living with, to frequently wash our hands, clean off surfaces in the home, and minimize the amount of time that you are out of the home and interacting.”

What Do People With Lung Cancer Need to Know About COVID-19?

How to Advocate for Your Health

McGregor’s story highlights the need to advocate for your health, and to always speak up. Dr. Zuri Murrell, a Colorectal Surgeon, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in a previous interview how speaking up for yourself is so important; he encourages people to be “pushy” when it comes to their health. “The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic,” said Dr. Murrell. “You are not necessarily going to fit into well, I don’t have to have a colonoscopy yet because I’m not 50, even though my bowel habits have changed, even though I’m having a lot of blood when I have a bowel movement.”

“That’s why it’s important for you to actually educate yourself and be your own health care advocate. And that’s something that I think is really important. You should lead each doctor’s appointment with a plan. So if I, as a 40-year-old, I come into a doctor’s office. I say, I’m having rectal bleeding. This is new for me. The doctor says, you know what? It’s probably hemorrhoids. First of all, I think, did they examine me? And a lot of times, especially a male, you’re actually happy that they didn’t examine you. But that’s not necessarily the right thing to do.”

Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocateâ€¦ Don't Settle

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