Radiotherapy Overdose

Radiotherapy is a well known therapy used in around 40% of the 10m people diagnosed worldwide every year, with cancer.

However, how many people realise that it’s such a dangerous therapy that the World Health Organisation has stepped in because Radiotherapy creates more than it’s fair share of errors?

Radiologists in North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary discovered that over a 10 year period, around 1 000 cancer patients received overdoses before technicians realised how to properly use the computers.

In spite of this knowledge, in 30 years, only 150 negligence claims for radiation damage have been issued by the non litigious UK patients

(Source: British Medical Journal, 2007; 334; 272)

Monday, 9 April 2007