VA clears most facilities in prostate cancer treatment probe (11/14/08) -- www.GovernmentExecutive.com

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Veterans Health Administration doctors investigating radiation underdosing of prostate cancer patients said they have found no problems at nine of 13 medical facilities that perform the treatment known as brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy is a complex procedure that involves implanting radioactive seeds into the prostate. In May, a physicist at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center discovered that a patient had received a lower-than-prescribed dose of radiation, prompting a probe that uncovered more than 90 additional cases of incorrect dosages at the facility since the cancer treatment program's inception there in 2002.

The problems in Philadelphia prompted VA to investigate its 12 other medical facilities that perform brachytherapy. In reviewing the 10 most recent procedures performed at each of the facilities, VA found several additional potential cases of underdosing at centers in Washington, D.C.; , Miss.; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

So far, VA has found no evidence that any patients have suffered adverse outcomes as a result of the underdosing, said Dr. Madhulika Agarwal, VA's chief patient care services officer.

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