As if there weren’t enough bad news on this story. It now appears that the scandal involving radiation treatment for prostate cancer at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center goes deeper than just the good Dr. Kao. According to testimony being received at Senate Hearings in Washington, a medical physicist responsible for setting the dosage calculations and a radiation safety committee also failed to do their job. And the Nuclear Regulatory Commmission, (this is “nuclear” medicine after all), not only shirked inspection but permitted the re-write of treatment plans to avoid reporting medical errors.
Of the 114 prostate cancer patients receiving treatment, a staggering 92 received either suboptimal (too little and ineffective) doses of radiation or received harmfully excessive levels of radiation to nearby organs which did not need radiation.
Only a handful of the 114 patients harmed or at risk for additional harm have come forward. The remainder of you are advised to seek medical evaluation IMMEDIATELY!
The Lewis Law Firm. PC, is handling cases of mis-administration of radiation at the Veterans Administration. Please feel free to contact us for any information you may require.
posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esq.