Cancer inquiry will help improve lab work far beyond St. John's: expert
07.10.2008 17:08
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
The mistakes revealed at Newfoundland and Labrador's breast cancer inquiry could have happened at any lab, and are a lesson for care providers, a U.S. expert says. Dr. Adam Brufsky, who directs a breast cancer program at the University of Pittsburgh's medical school, said after testifying at the Cameron inquiry that the probe will help improve lab standards far beyond Newfoundland and Labrador. "We try to have guidelines in place to try to prevent this from happening, and I think this could've happened anywhere, not just here," Brufsky told reporters. "And, in fact, [it] has — there have been incidents in the United States like this, that have happened, when new technologies have been introduced." The inquiry is examining how hundreds of breast cancer patients received the wrong results on hormone receptor tests after the testing program was introduced in 1997, and until 2005 when Eastern Health realized its pathology lab had been making errors. On the stand, Brufsky, who holds both a medical degree and a PhD in developmental biology and molecular genetics, told Justice Margaret Cameron that hormone receptor testing is vital to a patient's outcome. "It's an incredibly important test, because it really speaks to one of the most effective therapies we have for breast cancer," he said. "Antihormonal therapy is probably the most effective therapy we have for breast cancer, and knowing whether a woman has estrogen- and progesterone-responsive breast cancer is extremely important in knowing what therapy to design for her one way or the other." Brufsky said the complex testing involved in determining breast cancer treatment still is not a perfect science. He said it's critical that the estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor tests be done properly. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksBreast cancer testing mistakes 'wake-up call' to world, expert saysInquiryARCHIVE: Read previous coverage of the Cameron inquiryIN DEPTH: Misdiagnosed: Anatomy of Newfoundland's cancer-testing scandalIN DEPTH: Hormone receptor testingHealth HeadlinesAntibiotics not a prerequisite for C. difficile infections: studyHospitals are not the only place that people come down with C. difficile, and antibiotics aren't always linked to the infection, according to a new study that challenges conventional thinking.U.S. drug companies say no cold medicines for kids under 4Children under four should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, drug companies said Tuesday in a concession to pediatricians who doubt the drugs work in kids and worry about their safety.Pneumonia vaccine halves heart attack risk: studyThe pneumonia vaccine not only prevents the bacterial infection but the shot also seems to dramatically lower the risk of heart attacks in adults, a new Canadian study suggests.Cancer inquiry will help improve lab work far beyond St. John's: expert The mistakes revealed at Newfoundland and Labrador's breast cancer inquiry could have happened at any lab, and are a lesson for care providers, a U.S. expert says. Fans may help prevent SIDSUsing a fan or opening a window could reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by improving ventilation, researchers suggest. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHNobel PrizeFrom Alfred's willIN DEPTHFood additivesPreservation with a risk?HEALTHPsychologyInside the endurance athlete's mindVIEWPOINTHeather MallickOn controversy, democracy and e-mailHEALTHTuberculosisAnatomy of a killerCHILD PSYCHOLOGYPoliticians' behaviourHow do we explain it to our kids?People who read this also read …
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