Cancer patients receive mistaken radiation treatment in Turkey’s Antalya

Salim UZUN – ANTALYA

Twenty-seven out of 69 cancer patients received the wrong Total Body Irradiation (TBI) treatment at Akdeniz University Hospital in the Mediterranean province of Antalya between 2009 and 2016, a detailed investigation into the patients’ records has revealed.

TBI treatment for a number of patients reportedly started before the necessary calculations and measurements were carried out, as a measurement system in the hospital was not working properly at that time.

The investigation conducted by the Faculty of Medicine into practices at Akdeniz University Hospital’s Radiation Oncology Clinic found that many patients were not given the right dose of TBI. In addition, a number of medical devices that the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority has declared “not suitable for medical purposes” were used during treatment.

The investigation also found that unlicensed devices were used, unauthorized experiments were carried out, non-protected samples of irradiated radioactive material were carried in the clinic, and important data in patients’ records was changed.

Speaking to daily Hürriyet, one Akdeniz University staff member said three professors in the Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Oncology and Radiology Department are still investigating the case and will present a detailed report in due course.