Pennsylvania VA Medical Center Admits Error

July 8, 2009

For several years, the Philadelphia VA Medical Center used a form of treatment, known as radioactive brachytherapy to treat prostate cancer. The method uses a small metal implant- about the size of a grain of rice. It is inserted into the prostate using special needles and an ultrasound imaging of the pelvic organs. It emits cell-killing radiation for about 10 months, and generally, the procedure is used for patients with early, non-aggressive cancer, which has not spread beyond the prostate.

The medical center has now said that those patients who received the therapy between 2002 and 2008 may have received either too little or too much radiation treatment. This may have led to increased complications and furthering the progression of the patients’ cancer.

Many of these patients are now suing the medical center for medical malpractice. They are able to receive compensation for additional medical expenses, lost wages at work and mental and physical anguish.