FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aug 12, 11:58 AM EDT


VA patients in Pa. fear prostate treatment error


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A Philadelphia veterans hospital says it may have given insufficient radiation treatment to more than 100 prostate-cancer patients.

The Philadelphia VA Medical Center says it's reviewing records of 114 cancer patients who may have received the wrong dosages during the past six years.

Hospital spokeswoman Fern Billet says two patients have since died. She says it's not clear if the feared error played any role in their deaths.

The men had radioactive rods or seeds implanted in the affected area to destroy cancer cells. Experts say most men who undergo only that type of treatment have low-risk prostate cancer.

The hospital says the program has been suspended and a review is under way.


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END of AP Release