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

Introduction: 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. case presentation: 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. conclusions: 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%.