Lawsuit: Urgent care center missed cancer that later spread

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An urgent care center failed to diagnose a Santa Fe woman's condition in 2017 and 2018, leading to a terminal cancer diagnosis, according to court documents
Elizabeth "Betsy" Scarinzi recently filed a lawsuit in state district court against Presbyterian Medical Group over the alleged missed diagnosis which she said eventually led to brain and lung cancer, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports .
According to the lawsuit, medical staff at Presbyterian Medical Group's urgent care facility in Santa Fe examined her three times between 2017 and 2018 and failed to notice an early indication of lung cancer.
The lung cancer went undiagnosed and untreated for nearly a year, the lawsuit said.
The lung cancer had spread by the time Scarinzi, now 49, went to another doctor in September and was correctly diagnosed, the lawsuit said.
"What began as a curable condition progressed to a terminal diagnosis for Ms. Scarinzi," her attorneys wrote.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services declined to comment on pending litigation.
The complaint alleged medical negligence, breach of warranty and breach of contract and seeks an unspecified monetary damages.
Scarinzi's lawsuit said she was examined at the urgent care center in November 2017 after suffering bruises in a fall and was told there were no abnormalities in her chest X-ray. She was prescribed a painkiller.
Scarinzi is a singer-songwriter and leads the New Mexico alt-country/desert rock band The HollyHocks.
The band released its debut album in May.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.santafenewmexican.com