Coronial
VIChospital

Finding into death of David Drowley

Deceased

David Drowley

Demographics

63y, male

Date of death

2022-07-14

Finding date

2023-11-20

Cause of death

Metastatic lung cancer

AI-generated summary

David Drowley, a 63-year-old prisoner, died from metastatic lung cancer at St Vincent's Hospital after developing the disease whilst incarcerated. He presented to prison medical services in August 2021 with difficulty swallowing and a neck lump, was promptly diagnosed with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma in September 2021, and received regular oncology care including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and palliative cordotomy. His cancer progressed despite treatment with development of liver metastases and lymphangitis. He was admitted for end-of-life care on 13 July 2022 and died the following day. The coroner found the diagnosis was made promptly and medical management was appropriate. No clinical errors or preventable factors were identified in the care provided.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.

Contributing factors

  • Advanced metastatic disease at diagnosis
  • Progressive cancer despite multimodal treatment
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