T he Radiation Boom - Radiation Offers New Cures, ...
Welcome to TimesPeople
TODAY'S PAPER
11:43 AM
TimesPeople recommended: After the Massachusetts Massacre
Get Started
HOME PAGE
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/health/24radiat...
VIDEO
MOST POPULAR
Recommend
Try Times Reader 2.0 Log In Register Now
TIMES TOPICS
Search All NYTimes.com
Health
WORLD
U.S.
N.Y. / REGION
BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY
SCIENCE
HEALTH
SPORTS
OPINION
ARTS
STYLE
TRAVEL
JOBS
REAL ESTATE
AUTOS
RESEARCH
Se arch He alth
FITNESS & NUTRITION
MONEY & POLICY
VIEWS
HEALTH GUIDE
3,000+ Topics
THE RADIATION BOOM
Radiation Offers New Cures, and Ways to Do Harm
When Radiation Treatment Turns Deadly
By WALT BOGDANICH
Published: January 23, 2010
The Changing Economics of Marriage
A s Scott Jer om e-Pa r ks la y dy in g , h e clu n g to th is w ish : th a t
h is fa ta l r a dia tion ov er dose — w h ich left h im dea f,
SIGN IN TO
RECOMMEND
January 23, 2010
TWITTER
January 22, 2010
str u g g lin g to see, u n a ble to sw a llow , bu r n ed, w ith h is teeth
SIGN IN TO
E-MAIL
fa llin g ou t, w ith u lcer s in h is m ou th a n d th r oa t, n a u sea ted,
PRINT
in sev er e pa in a n d fin a lly u n a ble to br ea th e — be stu died
a n d ta lked a bou t pu blicly so th a t oth er s m ig h t n ot h a v e to
liv e h is n ig h tm a r e.
January 23, 2010
A Father's Quest to Cure His Children
The Cost of Autism
January 22, 2010
Risottos for a Midwinter Night's Meal
January 22, 2010
SINGLE PAGE
REPRINTS
SHARE
Sophisticated Shopper Deals by E-Mail
Sign up for shopping deals from NYTimes.com's premier
advertisers.
See Sample | Privacy Policy
1 of 5
01/25/2010 11:46 AM
T he Radiation Boom - Radiation Offers New Cures, ...
Enlarge This Image
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/health/24radiat...
Health & Fitness Tools
BMI Calculator
What’s your score? »
What you ne e d to
know about diabe te s
LEARN MORE »
For his last Christmas, Scott
Jerome-Parks rested his feet in buckets of
sand his friends had sent from a childhood
beach. More Photos »
The Radiation Boom
When Treatment Goes
Aw ry
Th is is the first in a series of
articl es th at wil l examine
issu es arising from the
increasing u se of medical
radiation and the new
technol ogies that del iver it.
MOST POPULAR - HEALTH
E-MAILED
BLOGGED
1 . The Radi ati on Boom: Radi ati on Of f er s N ew
Cur es, and W ay s to Do Har m
2. Bi g Benef i ts Ar e Seen Fr om Eati ng Less Sal t
3. In Standof f , Insur er Seek s Mor e Contr ol Ov er
Costs
4. The N ew Ol d Age: W hen It Isn’t Just Cl utter
Any mor e
5. Pati ent Money : Deal i ng W i th the Fi nanci al
Bur den of Auti sm
6. V i tal Si gns: Behav i or : Too Much Si tti ng Shor tens
Li v es, Study Suggests
7 . Reci pes f or Heal th: Shr i mp Ri sotto W i th Peas
Multim edia
8. W el l : The 1 1 Best Foods You Ar en’t Eati ng
9. W el l : Ri sottos f or a Mi dw i nter N i ght’s Meal
1 0. McCai n N udges Obama Tow ar d Hi s Par ty ’s
Heal th Pl ans
Go to Complete List »
Fatal Radi ati on
Medi cal Radi ati on: A Pl an Goes
W r ong
What you get for ... $350,000
ALSO IN REAL ESTATE »
Low rates f or just a f ew
House hunting in ... Austria
ADVERTISEMENTS
Radi ati on Mi stak es: One State’s
Tal l y
Related
W el l : W hen Radi ati on
Tr eatment Tur ns Deadl y
Enlarge This Image
2 of 5
01/25/2010 11:46 AM
T he Radiation Boom - Radiation Offers New Cures, ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/health/24radiat...
Sen sin g dea th w a s n ea r , Mr . Jer om e-Pa r ks
su m m on ed h is fa m ily for a fin a l Ch r istm a s. His
fr ien ds sen t tw o bu ckets of sa n d fr om th e bea ch
w h er e th ey h a d pla y ed a s ch ildr en so h e cou ld
tou ch it, feel it a n d r em em ber better da y s.
Mr . Jer om e-Pa r ks died sev er a l w eeks la ter in 2 007 .
Alexandra Jn-Charles, center, with her
husband, Rene, and their children, died in
2007. More Photos >
He w a s 4 3 .
A New Yor k City h ospita l tr ea tin g h im for ton g u e
ca n cer h a d fa iled to detect a com pu ter er r or th a t
dir ected a lin ea r a cceler a tor to
VI DEO
More Video | Multimedia
bla st h is br a in stem a n d n eck w ith
er r a n t bea m s of r a dia tion . Not
on ce, bu t on th r ee con secu tiv e
da y s.
Soon a fter th e a cciden t, a t St.
V in cen t’s Hospita l in Ma n h a tta n ,
sta te h ea lth officia ls ca u tion ed
h ospita ls to be ex tr a ca r efu l w ith
lin ea r a cceler a tor s, m a ch in es th a t
g en er a te bea m s of h ig h -en er g y
HEALTH
Hidden Da n g er
Radiation accidents like those that injured Scott
Jerome-Parks and Alexandra Jn-Charles don't
have to be made public under New York state
law, leaving many unaware of treatment risks.
r a dia tion .
Bu t on th e da y of th e w a r n in g , a t
th e Sta te Un iv er sity of New Yor k
Dow n sta te Medica l Cen ter in
Br ookly n , a 3 2 -y ea r -old br ea st
ca n cer pa tien t n a m ed A lex a n dr a Jn -Ch a r les a bsor bed th e fir st of 2 7 da y s of
r a dia tion ov er doses, ea ch th r ee tim es th e pr escr ibed a m ou n t. A lin ea r
a cceler a tor w ith a m issin g filter w ou ld bu r n a h ole in h er ch est, lea v in g a
g a pin g w ou n d so pa in fu l th a t th is m oth er of tw o y ou n g ch ildr en con sider ed
su icide.
Ms. Jn -Ch a r les a n d Mr . Jer om e-Pa r ks died a m on th a pa r t. Both ex per ien ced
th e w on der s a n d th e br u ta lity of r a dia tion . It h elped dia g n ose a n d tr ea t th eir
disea se. It a lso in flicted u n spea ka ble pa in .
Yet w h ile Mr . Jer om e-Pa r ks h a d h oped th a t oth er s m ig h t lea r n fr om h is
m isfor tu n e, th e deta ils of h is ca se — a n d Ms. Jn -Ch a r les’s — h a v e u n til n ow
been sh ielded fr om pu blic v iew by th e g ov er n m en t, doctor s a n d th e h ospita l.
A m er ica n s toda y r eceiv e fa r m or e m edica l r a dia tion th a n ev er befor e. Th e
a v er a g e lifetim e dose of dia g n ostic r a dia tion h a s in cr ea sed sev en fold sin ce
1 9 8 0, a n d m or e th a n h a lf of a ll ca n cer pa tien ts r eceiv e r a dia tion th er a py .
With ou t a dou bt, r a dia tion sa v es cou n tless liv es, a n d ser iou s a cciden ts a r e
r a r e.
Bu t pa tien ts often kn ow little a bou t th e h a r m th a t ca n r esu lt w h en sa fety
r u les a r e v iola ted a n d ev er m or e pow er fu l a n d tech n olog ica lly com plex
m a ch in es g o a w r y . To better u n der sta n d th ose r isks, Th e New Yor k Tim es
ex a m in ed th ou sa n ds of pa g es of pu blic a n d pr iv a te r ecor ds a n d in ter v iew ed
ph y sicia n s, m edica l ph y sicists, r esea r ch er s a n d g ov er n m en t r eg u la tor s.
Th e Tim es fou n d th a t w h ile th is n ew tech n olog y a llow s doctor s to m or e
a ccu r a tely a tta ck tu m or s a n d r edu ce cer ta in m ista kes, its com plex ity h a s
cr ea ted n ew a v en u es for er r or — th r ou g h softw a r e fla w s, fa u lty
pr og r a m m in g , poor sa fety pr ocedu r es or in a dequ a te sta ffin g a n d tr a in in g .
3 of 5
01/25/2010 11:46 AM
T he Radiation Boom - Radiation Offers New Cures, ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/health/24radiat...
Wh en th ose er r or s occu r , th ey ca n be cr ipplin g .
“ Lin ea r a cceler a tor s a n d tr ea tm en t pla n n in g a r e en or m ou sly m or e com plex
th a n 2 0 y ea r s a g o,” sa id Dr . How a r d I. A m ols, ch ief of clin ica l ph y sics a t
Mem or ia l Sloa n -Ketter in g Ca n cer Cen ter in New Yor k. Bu t h ospita ls, h e sa id,
a r e often too tr u stin g of th e n ew com pu ter sy stem s a n d softw a r e, r ely in g on
th em a s if th ey h a d been tested ov er tim e, w h en in fa ct th ey h a v e n ot.
Reg u la tor s a n d r esea r ch er s ca n on ly g u ess h ow often r a dioth er a py a cciden ts
occu r . With n o sin g le a g en cy ov er seein g m edica l r a dia tion , th er e is n o cen tr a l
clea r in g h ou se of ca ses. A cciden ts a r e ch r on ica lly u n der r epor ted, r ecor ds
sh ow , a n d som e sta tes do n ot r equ ir e th a t th ey be r epor ted a t a ll.
In Ju n e, Th e Tim es r epor ted th a t a Ph ila delph ia h ospita l g a v e th e w r on g
r a dia tion dose to m or e th a n 9 0 pa tien ts w ith pr osta te ca n cer — a n d th en kept
qu iet a bou t it. In 2 005 , a Flor ida h ospita l disclosed th a t 7 7 br a in ca n cer
pa tien ts h a d r eceiv ed 5 0 per cen t m or e r a dia tion th a n pr escr ibed beca u se on e
of th e m ost pow er fu l — a n d su pposedly pr ecise — lin ea r a cceler a tor s h a d been
pr og r a m m ed in cor r ectly for n ea r ly a y ea r .
Dr . Joh n J. Feldm eier , a r a dia tion on colog ist a t th e Un iv er sity of Toledo a n d a
lea din g a u th or ity on th e tr ea tm en t of r a dia tion in ju r ies, estim a tes th a t 1 in
2 0 pa tien ts w ill su ffer in ju r ies.
Most a r e n or m a l com plica tion s fr om r a dia tion , n ot m ista kes, Dr . Feldm eier
sa id. Bu t in som e ca ses th e lin e betw een th e tw o is u n cer ta in a n d a sou r ce of
con tin u in g deba te.
“ My su spicion is th a t m a y be h a lf of th e a cciden ts w e don ’t kn ow a bou t,” sa id
Dr . Fr ed A . Mettler Jr ., w h o h a s in v estig a ted r a dia tion a cciden ts a r ou n d th e
w or ld a n d h a s w r itten books on m edica l r a dia tion .
Iden tify in g r a dia tion in ju r ies ca n be difficu lt. Or g a n da m a g e a n d r a dia tion in du ced ca n cer m ig h t n ot su r fa ce for y ea r s or deca des, w h ile u n der dosin g is
difficu lt to detect beca u se th er e is n o in ju r y . For th ese r ea son s, r a dia tion
m ish a ps seldom r esu lt in la w su its, a ba r om eter of poten tia l pr oblem s w ith in
a n in du str y .
In 2 009 , th e n a tion ’s la r g est w ou n d ca r e com pa n y tr ea ted 3 ,000 r a dia tion
in ju r ies, m ost of th em ser iou s en ou g h to r equ ir e tr ea tm en t in h y per ba r ic
ox y g en ch a m ber s, w h ich u se pu r e, pr essu r ized ox y g en to pr om ote h ea lin g ,
sa id Jeff Nelson , pr esiden t a n d ch ief ex ecu tiv e of th e com pa n y , Div er sified
Clin ica l Ser v ices.
Wh ile th e w or st a cciden ts ca n be dev a sta tin g , m ost r a dia tion th er a py “ is
v er y g ood,” Dr . Mettler sa id. “ A n d w h ile th er e a r e a cciden ts, y ou w ou ldn ’t
w a n t to sca r e people to dea th w h er e th ey don ’t g et n eeded r a dia tion th er a py .”
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
NEXT PAGE »
Simon Akam, Andrew Lehren, Dan Lieberman, Kristina Rebelo and Rebecca R.
Ruiz contributed reporting.
Sign in to Recommend
A v ersion of this article appeared in print on January 24, 2010,
on page A1 of the New Y ork edition.
Next Article in Health (3 of 41) »
Times Reader 2.0: Daily delivery of The Times - straight to your computer.
Subscribe for just $3.45 a week.
SIGN IN TO
E-MAIL
Past Coverage
4 of 5
01/25/2010 11:46 AM
T he Radiation Boom - Radiation Offers New Cures, ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/health/24radiat...
Q & A; W hat's the Fr equency ? (December 1 6, 2008)
PALOMARES JOU RN AL; Spani sh Tow n Str uggl es to For get Its Moment on
the Br i nk of a N ucl ear Catacl y sm (September 1 2, 2008)
W ORLD BRIEFIN G | EU ROPE; Fr ance: N ucl ear Leak Announced (Jul y 1 9,
2008)
W ORLD BRIEFIN G | EU ROPE; Sl ov eni a: N ucl ear Pl ant Apol ogy (June 6,
2008)
PRINT
SINGLE PAGE
REPRINTS
Related Searches
Radi ati on
Get E-Mail Alerts
Acci dents and Saf ety
Get E-Mail Alerts
St V i ncent's Hospi tal
Get E-Mail Alerts
Dow nstate Medi cal Center
Get E-Mail Alerts
I NSI DE NY TI MES.COM
ARTS »
OPINION »
WEEK IN REVIEW »
BOOKS »
OPINION »
N.Y. / REGION »
The Book Cl ub W i th Just
One Memb er
Our Bor edom, Our sel v es
Jaguar s Don’t Li v e Her e
A ny mor e
W hat’s i n a N ame? A Lot.
Op-Ed: Get
Down to
Business
Pi e, Then Conf essi on:
Madof f as Legal Thr i l l er
Home
World
U.S.
Pr esiden t O b a m a
sh ou ld foc u s on
c r ea t in g job s,
fix in g t h e ec on om y
a n d r ein in g in t h e
size of g ov er n m en t ,
w r it es H a r old For d
Jr .
N.Y. / Region
Business
Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company
5 of 5
Technology
Privacy Policy
Science
Health
Terms of Service
Sports
Search
Opinion
Corrections
Arts
Style
RSS
Travel
Jobs
Real Estate
Automobiles
First Look
Help
Contact Us
Work for Us
Back to Top
Site Map
01/25/2010 11:46 AM