In Britain, an incorrect diagnosis caused the death of a 61-year-old man whose lung was removed in an effort to extend his life. 

John Turner began complaining of chest pains in the summer of 2006, and doctors suspected he was suffering of asbestosis.  His history working as a shipyard welder made him a likely candidate for developing mesothelioma, and after examining Turner's lungs, one doctor expressed that the scarring with consistent with the early stages of the cancer.  Because only one lung was affected, Turner was told it was possible to extend his life by three years if he consented to having the diseased lung removed.

Five months later, Turner still hadn't recovered and eventually died from complications related to the lung-removal.  An inquest revealed that Turner never had mesothelioma and was not a candidate for lung surgery.  A biopsy on the "cancerous" lung revealed that the scarring was not malignant; nevertheless, the doctors withheld this information from Turner's family until after his death.

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