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N.L. Health Authority Apologizes for 'Confusion' Over Faulty Cancer Tests

Posted on: Friday, 18 May 2007, 18:00 CDT

By TARA BRAUTIGAM

ST. JOHNS, N.L. (CP) - The chief of a Newfoundland health authority apologized Friday for the "confusion" created when it failed to fully disclose results of a review that found more than 300 patients received the wrong results from botched breast cancer tests.

George Tilley, CEO of the Eastern Health Authority, said the organization knew that 317 of 763 patients had received incorrect results, but it chose to speak publicly about a much smaller group - the 117 patients who had their treatment changed after they were told about the faulty tests.

The authority did not publicize the results of the other patients to spare the public any anxiety, though Tilley admitted it should have revealed the larger scope of the problem.

"I apologize for the confusion that has ensued over this issue," Tilley told a news conference.

"I take full responsibility for the organization's actions in talking about this issue and we are steadfast in our attempt to clarify the situation and to ensure there's no more confusion about who is affected."

Gerry Rogers, a patient who later discovered her test result was wrong, said the apology is the first step in healing the emotional wounds patients have suffered.

"I'm happy that finally Eastern Health has come out and at least issued an apology, but it's not enough," said Rogers, who made the Gemini Award-winning documentary "My Left Breast" on her ordeal with breast cancer.

"They have to start speaking directly to people who have been involved ... and it still doesn't explain what has gone wrong."

In August 2005, the authority arranged for Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto to redo more than 2,000 hormone receptor tests dating back to May 1997 after oncologists discovered inconsistent results in breast tumour samples.

From October 2005 to February 2006, the authority received the results of the retests. While the 117 patients whose treatments were changed were notified of the results, the rest of the 763 weren't.

At least 36 patients in Newfoundland and Labrador who received the wrong test results have died, though it remains unknown how many died as a result of their cancer.

"I also appreciate that this issue is undoubtedly causing great anxiety for the patients suffering from cancer and their family members, and we sincerely regret that," Tilley said.

"Unfortunately, we simply do not know how many of the patients who are now deceased going back to 1997 may have benefitted from hormonal therapy."

It's possible there are families of deceased breast cancer patients who remain unaware their loved ones had wrong test results, Tilley said, promising the authority would contact them.

The hormone receptor tests are considered critical in evaluating a breast cancer patient's treatment because, if the women are found to be estrogen-and/or progesterone-positive, they may respond to hormone therapy such as Tamoxifen.

If not, they may be given other treatment, such as chemotherapy.

Medical experts acknowledge there is a degree of uncertainty in assessing the test results, but Tilley said he is unable to explain how so many tests in the province were wrong.

Peter Dawe, executive director of the Canadian Cancer Society's Newfoundland and Labrador division, said Tilley's apology offered some degree of closure.

"I think they honestly know that they made a huge mistake in their communication process, and I really hope they learn from it," Dawe said. "We felt that full disclosure was important and that individuals could've been brought into the process a lot quicker."

About 80 patients are in the process of launching a class-action lawsuit, which will be argued in a St. John's court next week.

Premier Danny Williams has said the province will launch a review to determine why so many patients received the wrong results, an initiative the authority would welcome, Tilley said.

The province's health minister first learned of the magnitude of the problems with the breast cancer tests on Nov. 23. The government did not relay that information to the public, but Williams said the lack of disclosure was based on legal advice the government received at the time.

"It certainly wasn't deliberate from our perspective," he said.

Source: Canadian Press

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