Misdiagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Lymphoma Initially Diagnosed as Coronavirus Infection

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, physicians delivered a leading part and carried a high work volume, leading to burnout, which subsequently compromised patient safety, decreased the quality of care, and increased misdiagnosis. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians should have been vigilant and informed about the potential conditions resulting in medical errors. Particularly, epidemics of infectious illnesses can cause serious challenges in lymphoma diagnosis.

This case report presents a patient with lymphoma presenting with cough, fever, shortness of breath, and a history of contact with her familymemberswhotested positive for COVID-19, whichcaused delayed diagnosisandtreatment, disease progression, and finally, the death of the patient. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center of attention was detracted from other possible diagnoses, thereby missing lymphoma as a potentially treatable disease.

Although physicians are required to be watchful for COVID-19 amid the pandemic, it is also necessary not to neglect other diseases. A delay in the initiation of cancer therapy, even for one month, has been reported to increase the risk of mortality by approximately 10%.