Autopsies performed on the last five patients who died following radiation therapy in Panama found that radiation overdoses accelerated their deaths, Panamanian daily La Prensa reported July 25.
Twenty-eight pelvic cancer patients received radiation overdoses during radiotherapy at the country's National Cancer Institute between August 2000 and February 2001. So far 12 have died, and the condition of the remaining 16 patients has been characterized as extremely fragile. The government recently ordered that autopsies be performed on all patients who succumb, including the five who have died since May.
Forensic doctors at Panama's National Cancer Institute found a repeat pattern in the examinations, concluding that vital organs were severely affected by radiation burns in all five cadavers. Medical law institute director Dr. Humberto Mas said radiation burns in many tissues and some organs led to important clinical sequelae in the patients. The burns may have caused narrowing of the intestines and rectum and dilation and weakening of the intestinal walls, leading to generalized secondary infections, La Prensa said.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
July 27, 2001
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