It was the medical malpractice story that shocked Philadelphia and the nation. The lives of veterans stricken with prostate cancer were put at serious risk by botched radiation treatments performed at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center between 2003 and 2008. In testimony before a Senate committee last June, first the Department of Veterans Affairs, then the Nuclear Regulatory Commission were quick to deny responsibility for a problem that continued over six years. However, The Philadelphia Inquirer found documentation that the problem was not only known but ignored by both agencies.
Dubbed "the Philadelphia disaster" by the national press, the case linked a Philadelphia VA hospital physician to scores of radiation dosage errors during administration of radiation seed implantation (brachytherapy) in prostate cancer patients. At least 92 veterans were allegedly given incorrect radiation doses during the procedure. Despite admitting "missing his target," the physician, a radiation oncologist, denied blame. Many of the veterans incorrectly treated suffered additional medical problems as a result of their treatment. Several vets have seen their cancer worsen but because of their botched radiation treatments now have fewer treatment options, all of which will significantly diminish their quality of life.
Among the issues are:
- Why neither the doctor nor Philadelphia VA Medical Center notified patients of the possible risk that radioactive seeds introduced during prostate cancer treatment could migrate to other body sites and cause damage.
- Why the brachytherapy team continued to administer treatments even after they knew radiation doses were flawed, due in part to broken monitoring equipment.
- Why a physician who was making consistent errors was knowingly allowed to continue practicing at the hospital.
The Philadelphia VA Medical Center's brachytherapy program was eliminated in June 2008 when the problem came to public light. By the end of November 2009, 31 veterans and their spouses had filed personal injury medical malpractice claims against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeking a total of $58 million in damages for hospital radiation errors.
