6 more cases of botched cancer treatment at Pa. VA

[August 18, 2009]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Six more cases have been found of cancer patients being given incorrect radiation doses at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia.

The errors happened in a common surgical procedure to treat prostate cancer.

That brings the total to 98 veterans who were given incorrect radiation doses over a six-year period at the hospital.

The program had treated 114 cancer patients before it was halted when the problem surfaced in 2008.

The cases involved brachytherapy, in which implanted radioactive metal seeds are used to kill cancer cells. Most veterans got far less than the prescribed dose while others received too much.

The newly reported cases have been forwarded to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from The Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.philly.com/

[Associated Press]

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