NRC Issues Action Letter to VA on Cancer Treatment Errors

NRC Issues Action Letter to VA on Cancer Treatment Errors

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Oct. 15 said it issued a confirmatory action letter to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) National Health Physics Program following a series of errors in the prostate cancer treatment program at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa. The issue surfaced earlier this year when VA notified NRC that the radiation dose delivered to a VA patient in Philadelphia for prostate cancer was more than 20 percent lower than the prescribed dose.

The medical center’s review of all other prostate cancer treatments at the facility identified 92 medical errors out of the total of 116 treatments (79.3 percent) conducted since the inception of the program in 2002. Upon further review, VA reported to NRC there were problems at three of its 12 other facilities: Cincinnati, Ohio; Jackson, Miss.; and Washington, D.C. VA hospitals at these locations and in Philadelphia have suspended their programs until the problems are fixed. The NRC letter documents VA’s commitments to identify and address the problems and to prevent their recurrence. NRC then will verify through inspections that the items in the letter have been completed. “Facilities that use nuclear materials for medical treatment have a responsibility for administering treatments properly and safely,” said NRC Regional Administrator James Caldwell. “The confirmatory action letter will help us ensure that problems that led to medical errors at VA hospitals are addressed.” To see more, go to: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2008/08-040iii.html.

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