A new lawsuit alleges that a woman’s 2022 cardiac scan found an 8-millimeter nodule in her left lung and recommended a follow-up CT scan within 6 to 12 months, but she was never told about the finding. Shannon James, a healthy nonsmoker, returned for annual exams in 2023 and 2024 with wheezing and a chronic cough that were dismissed as allergies. According to the complaint, Dr. Alexis Jesup never communicated the nodule or ordered the recommended imaging. The suit names Jesup and Roper St. Francis Hospital and alleges gross negligence and medical malpractice.
The nodule stayed hidden in her chart until early 2025, when pulmonologist Dr. Craig Schuring discovered the 2022 scan and immediately ordered imaging. By May 2025, doctors found a 3.1-centimeter tumor with enlarged lymph nodes and diagnosed stage 4A metastatic lung cancer that had spread to her bones. An MD Anderson oncologist confirmed her treatment is palliative rather than curative. Attorneys for James say her prognosis is terminal and that she has lost the ability to live the active life she once enjoyed.
For Suncoast residents, especially retirees and snowbirds who may see multiple doctors across different states, this case is a reminder that follow-up is a shared responsibility. Ask for a copy of every scan report, read it yourself, and note anything that mentions a follow-up interval. If a symptom keeps getting dismissed, ask what else could be causing it. Have you ever caught something in your medical records that no one told you about? Tell us in the comments.
