Doctor Admits to Medical Errors in VA Prostate Cancer Treatments
Dr. Gary Kao, the Philadelphia Veterans Administration physician accused of botching the prostate cancer treatments he performed on dozens of patients has admitted wrongdoing.
Dr. Kao treated hundreds of men for prostate cancer, using brachytherapy, a procedure in which tiny radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate to treat the disease. A recent investigation of the VA hospital found that 92 out of 116 patients treated there received incorrect doses of the seeds because they were implanted into nearby organs rather than the intended location.
Perhaps even more disturbing than the fact that he “sometimes missed his target”, as he put it, is the fact that Kao admitted under questioning that he failed to inform the patients when he made the errors nor notify them that they had received an incorrect dose as a result.
The brachytherapy program has been suspended at the VA hospital where Dr. Kao performed the botched treatments, and although he still maintains his medical license, he has stopped performing the surgeries and has taken a leave of absence as of last week.
It is unclear the number of medical malpractice cases that will come as a result of this doctor’s negligence, but it is certain that there will be many victims that he will have to answer to.