Investigators in Panama are searching for the cause of a radiation therapy accident that has killed one cancer patient and overradiated 27 others.
Panamanian daily La Prensa reported yesterday that an examination of the cobalt bombardment unit and console at Panama's National Oncologic Institute in Panama City has revealed "absolutely no malfunction" in the device. Panamanian health officials say the radiation overdoses are the result of either human error or malicious intent, according to La Prensa.
An international team of experts is investigating the accident, in which 28 patients received overdoses of radiation in the course of radiotherapy treatment for pelvic cancer.
Following notification of the agency by Panamanian officials on May 22, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna sent six experts to Panama City on Saturday. They will spend a week investigating the cause of the accident at the site, ensuring that the radiation source is safe and secure, and evaluating the medical condition of the surviving patients and the autopsy findings of the fatality, the IAEA stated on Friday.
In an e-mail to AuntMinnie.com today, IAEA information director David Kyd said the situation is complex and will take time to sort out, according to preliminary reports the agency has received from its investigators.
"There does not appear to be a significant problem with the equipment used or its calibration," Kyd wrote. "The team is therefore currently examining various hypotheses -- e.g., that there might have been a problem in the transfer of the protocols prescribing the treatment for patients via computer software. The autopsy report of one deceased patient is also being examined."
He stressed, however, that the investigation is at a preliminary stage, and that no final conclusions have been reached.
Panama's Health Minister, Fernando Gracia, said the law will be applied to the fullest extent once the responsible parties are determined, and that "whatever [the cause] was, there will not be a happy ending," La Prensa said.
According to an unconfirmed report, the cobalt equipment was slated to be replaced with a high-intensity linear accelerator.
Panama is receiving the IAEA's assistance under the Convention on Assistance in Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, to which Panama is a signatory.
The investigative team includes senior experts in radiology, radiotherapy, radiopathology, radiation dosimetry, and radiation protection. French, American and Japanese investigators are on-site, according to the IAEA.
The National Oncologic Institute deploys advanced treatment technologies, and is a result of Panama's significant investment of human and financial resources in radiology and radiation treatment over the past several years, Kyd told AuntMinnie.com.
By Eric BarnesAuntMinnie.com staff writer
May 29, 2001
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