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Radiation Therapy Mistakes Cost Lives

Posted by kdawson on from the feel-the-burn dept.

jmtpi recommends a long NY Times investigative report about how powerful medical linear accelerators have contributed to at least two deaths in the New York area. Although the mistakes were largely due to human error, buggy software also played a role. "...the records described 621 mistakes from 2001 to 2008... most were minor... The Times found that on 133 occasions, devices used to shape or modulate radiation beams... were left out, wrongly positioned, or otherwise misused. On 284 occasions, radiation missed all or part of its intended target or treated the wrong body part entirely. ... Another patient with stomach cancer was treated for prostate cancer. Fifty patients received radiation intended for someone else, including one brain cancer patient who received radiation intended for breast cancer."

4 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. When I was young, it sounded all quite unlikely... by jgreco · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Dr. David Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs..." Apparently they misspelled "rigor morphosis." Bah.

  2. Re:Not a new problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Its okay, once the Cylons take over and successfully wipe out humanity(this time around) then these errors will be a thing of the past :D

  3. Re:Surprise! by jhoegl · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, I too blame pregnant women for overworked coworkers and thus excuse any mistake they make, including death.

  4. I had radiation therapy... by rbanzai · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... and stuff like this makes me anxious. I had 30+ zaps to my leg. Initially there was a rather involved simulation to precisely aim the beam. They made a mold to hold my leg in place for the treatments and tattooed targeting dots on my leg.

    They screwed up. It was completely bungled and part of the beam was aimed to go right down the side of my leg, frying the top layer of skin. Within a couple of treatments they adjusted it and just used sharpies to make new targeting dots.

    One day I was lying on the table with my balls in the lead sphere to protect them when over the PA I heard the old Windows error sound. Scared the crap out of me until they told me they only used Windows for their scheduling software.