Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Well, 2010 is finishing up with more of the same for the beleaguered radiation therapy community. The industry is once again doing damage control after a story on treatment errors, published this week by a familiar source: the New York Times.
In the new story, investigative reporter Walt Bogdanich examines treatment errors that have occurred when linear accelerators are outfitted to perform stereotactic radiosurgery. The complexity of the equipment has led to radiation overdoses that have been debilitating or even fatal to patients, according to the story. Read associate editor Cynthia E. Keen's coverage of the article in our Radiation Oncology Digital Community by clicking here.
In other oncology news, get the inside scoop on a recently filed lawsuit that could put a crimp in McKesson's plans to expand its footprint in the industry by acquiring US Oncology. A deal that McKesson had hoped to wrap up by the end of this year has now been delayed while a state court in New York City examines whether the acquisition would violate a noncompete agreement.
Get the rest of the story by clicking here, or visit the community at radiation.auntminnie.com.
Top 10 stories of 2010
Finally, with this last Letter from the Editor of 2010, we'd like to continue a tradition of offering AuntMinnie.com members a look at the top stories of the year.
The list indicates just how important the issue of radiation dose has been, with five of the 10 articles dealing with dose. Other important topics in 2010 included the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new guidance on gadolinium MRI contrast agents, and an article on everybody's favorite computer gadget, the iPad.
Click here to take a look at this year's list, and have a happy, safe, and prosperous new year!
