"AFTER THE RE-TESTING BY PHENO-PATH LABORATORIES IN SEATTLE, THE MINISTRY CONCLUDED THAT 87 WOMEN WERE GIVEN FALSE-NEGATIVE RESULTS AND AMONG THEM 39 RECEIVED IMPROPER TREATMENT BECAUSE OF IT. FIVE OF THE WOMEN IN THE GROUP DIED, BUT THE MINISTRY COULD NOT DETERMINE WHETHER THE DEATHS WERE LINKED TO ERRONEOUS PATHOLOGY HORMONE MARKER TESTS.
THE QUEBEC FEDERATION OF SPECIALISTS ARGUED YESTERDAY THAT IF THE STRICTER BENCHMARK HAD BEEN APPLIED, A MUCH HIGHER NUMBER OF WOMEN WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE RECEIVED THE WRONG TREATMENT.
"IT WOULD BE LIKE SETTING THE SPEED LIMIT ON HIGHWAYS TOMORROW AT 160 KILOMETRES PER HOUR. THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY MORE SPEEDING TICKETS," THE FEDERATION'S PRESIDENT, GAÉTAN BARRETTE, SAID, ADDING THAT GOVERNMENT WAS CREATING THE PERCEPTION THAT IT WANTED TO COVER UP THE FACTS.
REPORTER RHEAL SEGUIN; THE GLOBE AND MAIL;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND: This blog has been following developments in Newfoundland, Quebec, and other areas of Canada which have been plagued by flawed cancer tests in order to remind readers that the problems in Canadian pathology are not restricted to its application in the criminal justice system - and the numerous miscarriages of justice involving Dr. Charles Randal Smith;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Standards used in Quebec for testing breast cancer tissue to determine treatment are being questioned by the province's specialists, leaving the Minister of Health scrambling to reassure patients," reporter Rheal Seguin's story, published earlier today in the Globe and Mail, begins.
"The debate focuses on how physicians decide whether the results of hormone receptor tests, which determine whether a breast cancer patient would receive estrogen-fighting drugs, are positive or negative," the story continues, under the heading "Standards for breast cancer tests queried" and the sub-heading "Debate erupts over whether results of hormone receptor tests are positive or negative."
"The tests determine the percentage of cancer cells with hormone receptors. Some doctors require a 10 per cent count before considering the result positive and ordering hormonal therapy. Others apply a much stricter standard of just 1 per cent.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Yves Bolduc released the results of new tests on tissue from 2,856 cancer patients after anomalies were detected last spring in the original pathology tests. The ministry used the less demanding 10 per cent as the benchmark for positive hormone receptor status.
After the re-testing by Pheno-Path Laboratories in Seattle, the ministry concluded that 87 women were given false-negative results and among them 39 received improper treatment because of it. Five of the women in the group died, but the ministry could not determine whether the deaths were linked to erroneous pathology hormone marker tests.
The Quebec Federation of Specialists argued yesterday that if the stricter benchmark had been applied, a much higher number of women would have been shown to have received the wrong treatment.
"It would be like setting the speed limit on highways tomorrow at 160 kilometres per hour. There wouldn't be any more speeding tickets," the federation's president, Gaétan Barrette, said, adding that government was creating the perception that it wanted to cover up the facts.
"What we need is to implement standards of practices in this province that are at the level of the best worldwide practices in pathology."
The Health Minister said there is no consensus in the medical community over what percentage is needed to determine hormonal treatment.
"The medical literature is not clear on this," Mr. Bolduc said. "What we know is that over 10 per cent you must give the treatment. At zero per cent you don't give the treatment. Between zero per cent and 10 per cent, it depends on the condition of the patient and it depends on the judgment of the doctor."
There is no better person placed to make the decision on what type of treatment is needed than the physician in consultation with the patient, Mr. Bolduc said.
He added that provinc ewide standards should be in place by next March that will include stricter quality control regulations for all of the province's 58 pathology laboratories.
Dr. Barrette said he couldn't understand why the Minister couldn't act immediately to reassure breast cancer patients who have endured enormous anxiety as a result of the retesting.
"What we say is that we cannot wait until March, 2010, to take a decision. It can be taken today. The science is there," Dr. Barrette said."
THE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/standards-for-breast-cancer-tests-queried/article1404864/
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
Showing posts with label quebec. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quebec. Show all posts
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
UPDATE: QUEBEC; BOTCHED BREAST CANCER TESTS: REPORT TO BE RELEASED TODAY; MEDICAL DETAILS TO BE WITHHELD FROM FAMILIES OF DECEASED;
"But families of deceased women will not be given test results pertaining to their cancer.
"Gaetan Barrette, head of Quebec's federation of medical specialists blasted the health department for its lack of transparency, which he called a blatant attempt to avoid legal action.
"In my opinion, they are afraid of a big lawsuit.
"I can't tell you how sad and incomprehensible this story is," Barrette said. "I feel sorry for the families who have lost loved ones. When things like that happen, you want to have answers. It's part of the process of mourning."
The public has a right to know, said Carol Secter, board member at Breast Action Cancer Montreal, an activist group looking for cancer causes.""
Charlie fidelman; the Montreal Gazette;
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background: This blog has been following developments in Newfoundland, Quebec, and other areas of Canada which have been plagued by flawed cancer tests in order to remind readers that the problems in Canadian pathology are not restricted to its application in the criminal justice system - and the numerous miscarriages of justice involving Dr. Charles Randal Smith;
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY CHARLIE FIDELMAN, MONTREAL GAZETTEDECEMBER 15, 2009 10:02 PM
STORYPHOTOS ( 1 )
"MONTREAL — While Quebec is to reveal results of its investigation into botched breast cancer tests Wednesday, the families of deceased women will still be left with unanswered questions about the deaths," the Montreal Gazette story by reporter Charlie Fidelman, published on December 15, 2009, under the heading :Families of cancer victims won't get botched test investigation results: Quebec" begins.
"There is a "ministerial directive" that prohibits giving families of the deceased information linked to the test, said Marie-Eve Bedard, press attache to Health Minister Yves Bolduc," the story continues.
"Also, Bedard would not say how many of the thousands of women targeted for retesting have died, noting that "numbers without an explanation make no sense."
Since June, thousands of cancer sufferers have been wondering whether they received incorrect diagnosis and treatment.
The panic started when a study led by Louis Gaboury at the Universite de Montreal revealed that 15 to 30 per cent of breast cancer test results were seriously flawed in 25 Quebec laboratories.
Gaboury, president of the Quebec Pathology Association, had likened the Quebec situation to Newfoundland and Labrador, where 100 women died because of misdiagnosis and improper treatment.
All the Quebec women in Gaboury's sample had cancer; however his study had looked at hormone markers in breast cancer tumours, which are used to determine treatment options.
It is possible that a number of women had received the wrong treatment, he said.
"To put it bluntly, this could be an explosive situation," Gaboury had said.
Initially, Bolduc had accused critics of fearmongering. He later had a committee of experts review the study — in the interest of transparency and accuracy, he said.
Based on the committee's recommendations, Bolduc ordered the re-examination of test results of 7,233 women who were examined between April 1, 2008, and June 1 of this year.
Of that number, about 2,856 women were retested at a Seattle laboratory to determine whether their results matched those in Quebec.
It's not yet known how Quebec results fared in comparison to these external tests.
An overview of the Seattle laboratory results and comparison will be made public in a briefing by Bolduc in Quebec City with Andre Robidoux, the experts committee's chairman and breast cancer researcher at the Universite de Montreal.
But women who were in the targeted time frame for retesting need not worry because they already have been informed of their results, Bedard said.
But families of deceased women will not be given test results pertaining to their cancer.
Gaetan Barrette, head of Quebec's federation of medical specialists blasted the health department for its lack of transparency, which he called a blatant attempt to avoid legal action.
"In my opinion, they are afraid of a big lawsuit.
"I can't tell you how sad and incomprehensible this story is," Barrette said. "I feel sorry for the families who have lost loved ones. When things like that happen, you want to have answers. It's part of the process of mourning."
The public has a right to know, said Carol Secter, board member at Breast Action Cancer Montreal, an activist group looking for cancer causes.
"I'm blown away that they wouldn't tell them," Secter said. "What other secrets are they hiding?""
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
The story can be found at:
http://www.globalmontreal.com/health/Families+cancer+victims+botched+test+investigation+results+Quebec/2344993/story.html
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
"Gaetan Barrette, head of Quebec's federation of medical specialists blasted the health department for its lack of transparency, which he called a blatant attempt to avoid legal action.
"In my opinion, they are afraid of a big lawsuit.
"I can't tell you how sad and incomprehensible this story is," Barrette said. "I feel sorry for the families who have lost loved ones. When things like that happen, you want to have answers. It's part of the process of mourning."
The public has a right to know, said Carol Secter, board member at Breast Action Cancer Montreal, an activist group looking for cancer causes.""
Charlie fidelman; the Montreal Gazette;
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background: This blog has been following developments in Newfoundland, Quebec, and other areas of Canada which have been plagued by flawed cancer tests in order to remind readers that the problems in Canadian pathology are not restricted to its application in the criminal justice system - and the numerous miscarriages of justice involving Dr. Charles Randal Smith;
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY CHARLIE FIDELMAN, MONTREAL GAZETTEDECEMBER 15, 2009 10:02 PM
STORYPHOTOS ( 1 )
"MONTREAL — While Quebec is to reveal results of its investigation into botched breast cancer tests Wednesday, the families of deceased women will still be left with unanswered questions about the deaths," the Montreal Gazette story by reporter Charlie Fidelman, published on December 15, 2009, under the heading :Families of cancer victims won't get botched test investigation results: Quebec" begins.
"There is a "ministerial directive" that prohibits giving families of the deceased information linked to the test, said Marie-Eve Bedard, press attache to Health Minister Yves Bolduc," the story continues.
"Also, Bedard would not say how many of the thousands of women targeted for retesting have died, noting that "numbers without an explanation make no sense."
Since June, thousands of cancer sufferers have been wondering whether they received incorrect diagnosis and treatment.
The panic started when a study led by Louis Gaboury at the Universite de Montreal revealed that 15 to 30 per cent of breast cancer test results were seriously flawed in 25 Quebec laboratories.
Gaboury, president of the Quebec Pathology Association, had likened the Quebec situation to Newfoundland and Labrador, where 100 women died because of misdiagnosis and improper treatment.
All the Quebec women in Gaboury's sample had cancer; however his study had looked at hormone markers in breast cancer tumours, which are used to determine treatment options.
It is possible that a number of women had received the wrong treatment, he said.
"To put it bluntly, this could be an explosive situation," Gaboury had said.
Initially, Bolduc had accused critics of fearmongering. He later had a committee of experts review the study — in the interest of transparency and accuracy, he said.
Based on the committee's recommendations, Bolduc ordered the re-examination of test results of 7,233 women who were examined between April 1, 2008, and June 1 of this year.
Of that number, about 2,856 women were retested at a Seattle laboratory to determine whether their results matched those in Quebec.
It's not yet known how Quebec results fared in comparison to these external tests.
An overview of the Seattle laboratory results and comparison will be made public in a briefing by Bolduc in Quebec City with Andre Robidoux, the experts committee's chairman and breast cancer researcher at the Universite de Montreal.
But women who were in the targeted time frame for retesting need not worry because they already have been informed of their results, Bedard said.
But families of deceased women will not be given test results pertaining to their cancer.
Gaetan Barrette, head of Quebec's federation of medical specialists blasted the health department for its lack of transparency, which he called a blatant attempt to avoid legal action.
"In my opinion, they are afraid of a big lawsuit.
"I can't tell you how sad and incomprehensible this story is," Barrette said. "I feel sorry for the families who have lost loved ones. When things like that happen, you want to have answers. It's part of the process of mourning."
The public has a right to know, said Carol Secter, board member at Breast Action Cancer Montreal, an activist group looking for cancer causes.
"I'm blown away that they wouldn't tell them," Secter said. "What other secrets are they hiding?""
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
The story can be found at:
http://www.globalmontreal.com/health/Families+cancer+victims+botched+test+investigation+results+Quebec/2344993/story.html
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
Friday, July 10, 2009
FOLLOW-UP; BOTCHED BREAST CANCER TESTS; ACCOUNTABILITY? NEWFOUNDLAND HEALTH MINISTER PAYS PRICE; DEVELOPMENTS IN QUEBEC BREAST CANCER TEST SCANDAL;
"THE PREMIER, HOWEVER, DEFENDED THE EMBATTLED CABINET MEMBER. HE SAID WISEMAN HAD WRONGFULLY TAKEN THE BLAME FOR THE ERRONEOUS LABORATORY TESTS. TRANSFERRING WISEMAN TO ANOTHER AGENCY WOULD PROVIDE HIM SOME RELIEF AND REMOVE HIM FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR."
AHN;
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Headline News reports that Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Ross Wiseman has been removed from his post;
The flawed pathological tests conducted in hospitals in Newfoundland, Quebec and several other part of Canada are a reminder that serious problems in Canada's pathology system are not confined to the criminal justice sector;
"Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Ross Wiseman was removed Thursday from his post by Premier Danny WIlliams and given another assignment to head the Ministry of Business. Wiseman was replaced by Paul Oram," the AHN news report, issued earlier today, begins;
"The move, part of Williams' ongoing cabinet shake-up, is seen as a result of heavy criticism hurled on Wiseman over botched breast cancer test of thousands of Newfoundland women from 1997 to 2005," the report continues under the heading, "Newfoundland Removes Health Minister Criticized For Botched Breast Cancer Tests."
"The premier, however, defended the embattled cabinet member. He said Wiseman had wrongfully taken the blame for the erroneous laboratory tests. Transferring Wiseman to another agency would provide him some relief and remove him from the public health sector.
Williams, said in a statement, "I would like to welcome these minister to their new portfolios and wish them well as they take on these new challenges.... I want to thank both Ministers Wiseman and Oram for their outstanding work in their previous departments and I look forward to their continued contributions individually as ministers and collectively around the Cabinet table."
Before Wiseman's transfer, Williams replaced the Eastern Health chief executive officer who was also implicated in the controversial breast cancer tests.
Meanwhile, Quebec which also recently had a breast cancer test problem, will make the first batch of 630 residents go through a retesting to check if the medicine Herceptin could help them. The order for retesting came from provincial Health Minister Yves Bolduc.
The 630 women are part of the 2,730 who will repeat their breast cancer tests. The women are from Montreal, Monteregie and Laval."
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com
AHN;
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Headline News reports that Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Ross Wiseman has been removed from his post;
The flawed pathological tests conducted in hospitals in Newfoundland, Quebec and several other part of Canada are a reminder that serious problems in Canada's pathology system are not confined to the criminal justice sector;
"Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister Ross Wiseman was removed Thursday from his post by Premier Danny WIlliams and given another assignment to head the Ministry of Business. Wiseman was replaced by Paul Oram," the AHN news report, issued earlier today, begins;
"The move, part of Williams' ongoing cabinet shake-up, is seen as a result of heavy criticism hurled on Wiseman over botched breast cancer test of thousands of Newfoundland women from 1997 to 2005," the report continues under the heading, "Newfoundland Removes Health Minister Criticized For Botched Breast Cancer Tests."
"The premier, however, defended the embattled cabinet member. He said Wiseman had wrongfully taken the blame for the erroneous laboratory tests. Transferring Wiseman to another agency would provide him some relief and remove him from the public health sector.
Williams, said in a statement, "I would like to welcome these minister to their new portfolios and wish them well as they take on these new challenges.... I want to thank both Ministers Wiseman and Oram for their outstanding work in their previous departments and I look forward to their continued contributions individually as ministers and collectively around the Cabinet table."
Before Wiseman's transfer, Williams replaced the Eastern Health chief executive officer who was also implicated in the controversial breast cancer tests.
Meanwhile, Quebec which also recently had a breast cancer test problem, will make the first batch of 630 residents go through a retesting to check if the medicine Herceptin could help them. The order for retesting came from provincial Health Minister Yves Bolduc.
The 630 women are part of the 2,730 who will repeat their breast cancer tests. The women are from Montreal, Monteregie and Laval."
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
BREAST CANCER TESTS "BOTCHED" IN 25 LABS RUN BY QUEBEC'S PATHOLOGIST'S ASSOCIATION; REMINDER OF NEED TO CAREFULLY EXAMINE REPORTS IN CRIMINAL CASES
"“TO PUT IT BLUNTLY THIS COULD BE AN EXPLOSIVE SITUATION,” DR. LOUIS GABOURY, PRESIDENT OF THE QUEBEC PATHOLOGIST ASSOCIATION TOLD RADIO-CANADA."
REPORTER RHEAL SEGUIN: GLOBE AND MAIL:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Globe and Mail has reported that breast cancer testing conducted in 25 laboratories in the province of Quebec has been "botched" putting women at risk;
This is yet another example of pathology gone wrong in Canadian laboratories;
It is yet another reminder that mistakes can be made in pathology laboratories even where there are the best intentions to produce accurate results;
It is also a reminder of the need for careful examination of forensic lab results being relied upon by police in criminal investigations and prosecutions - a reminder that they, too, can be terribly wrong.
"Quebec's health officials revealed Wednesday night that the province's breast cancer testing is seriously flawed, putting the treatment and lives of women at risk in a debacle similar to what took place in Newfoundland and Labrador," the story, dated May 27, 2009, begins;
"Hundreds of Quebec women may have received inadequate or ineffective treatment due to improper assessments done in 25 laboratories under the supervision of the province's pathologists association," the story continues;
"The study was obtained by Radio-Canada and shows that every laboratory had flawed test results.
“To put it bluntly this could be an explosive situation,” Dr. Louis Gaboury, president of the Quebec pathologist association told Radio-Canada.
He said that the study identified problems similar to what was found in Newfoundland and Labrador, where at least 386 women and men in that province received faulty results on their breast cancer tests.
“We are certainly a step away from the situation found in Newfoundland and Labrador a few years ago,” Dr. Gaboury said. “That means several hundred women may have received an erroneous result.”
As in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec patients received incorrect results in their hormone receptor tests, which are used to determine treatment options.
The Quebec pathologists' study showed that the tests aimed at identifying markers for hormone therapy were flawed in 15 per cent to 20 per cent of cases. There were up to 30 per cent errors when identifying HER2 protein markers for a treatment involving the popular drug Herceptin.
There are 6,000 women in Quebec diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Botched cancer tests in Newfoundland and Labrador resulted in an inquiry headed by justice Margaret Cameron, who concluded in her report that the quality control at the St-John's laboratory that processed the breast cancer tests “was so little and so haphazard as to be non-existent.”
Quebec pathologists have demanded for years that the Quebec government undertake quality control tests of the province's laboratories, but to no avail. The pathologists decided to conduct the study themselves, which the Ministry of Health and Social Services is now scrambling to deal with.
“We were not informed until we saw the news report and nobody in the ministry is willing to confirm the conclusions of the report,” said ministry spokesperson Marie-Ève Bédard.
Health Minister Yves Bolduc was unavailable for comment, but was said to be meeting with his senior officials last night to determine the impact the report may have on public opinion should the study prove to be as accurate as Quebec pathologists claim it is.
Dr. Gaboury said the province should immediately undertake a full-scale study to determine the extent of the quality control in the provinces' laboratories. The study he conducted was small by comparison, Dr. Gaboury said.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, more than 100 breast cancer patients have died since their inaccurate tests, though there is no way of knowing if the errors hastened their demise."
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
REPORTER RHEAL SEGUIN: GLOBE AND MAIL:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Globe and Mail has reported that breast cancer testing conducted in 25 laboratories in the province of Quebec has been "botched" putting women at risk;
This is yet another example of pathology gone wrong in Canadian laboratories;
It is yet another reminder that mistakes can be made in pathology laboratories even where there are the best intentions to produce accurate results;
It is also a reminder of the need for careful examination of forensic lab results being relied upon by police in criminal investigations and prosecutions - a reminder that they, too, can be terribly wrong.
"Quebec's health officials revealed Wednesday night that the province's breast cancer testing is seriously flawed, putting the treatment and lives of women at risk in a debacle similar to what took place in Newfoundland and Labrador," the story, dated May 27, 2009, begins;
"Hundreds of Quebec women may have received inadequate or ineffective treatment due to improper assessments done in 25 laboratories under the supervision of the province's pathologists association," the story continues;
"The study was obtained by Radio-Canada and shows that every laboratory had flawed test results.
“To put it bluntly this could be an explosive situation,” Dr. Louis Gaboury, president of the Quebec pathologist association told Radio-Canada.
He said that the study identified problems similar to what was found in Newfoundland and Labrador, where at least 386 women and men in that province received faulty results on their breast cancer tests.
“We are certainly a step away from the situation found in Newfoundland and Labrador a few years ago,” Dr. Gaboury said. “That means several hundred women may have received an erroneous result.”
As in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec patients received incorrect results in their hormone receptor tests, which are used to determine treatment options.
The Quebec pathologists' study showed that the tests aimed at identifying markers for hormone therapy were flawed in 15 per cent to 20 per cent of cases. There were up to 30 per cent errors when identifying HER2 protein markers for a treatment involving the popular drug Herceptin.
There are 6,000 women in Quebec diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Botched cancer tests in Newfoundland and Labrador resulted in an inquiry headed by justice Margaret Cameron, who concluded in her report that the quality control at the St-John's laboratory that processed the breast cancer tests “was so little and so haphazard as to be non-existent.”
Quebec pathologists have demanded for years that the Quebec government undertake quality control tests of the province's laboratories, but to no avail. The pathologists decided to conduct the study themselves, which the Ministry of Health and Social Services is now scrambling to deal with.
“We were not informed until we saw the news report and nobody in the ministry is willing to confirm the conclusions of the report,” said ministry spokesperson Marie-Ève Bédard.
Health Minister Yves Bolduc was unavailable for comment, but was said to be meeting with his senior officials last night to determine the impact the report may have on public opinion should the study prove to be as accurate as Quebec pathologists claim it is.
Dr. Gaboury said the province should immediately undertake a full-scale study to determine the extent of the quality control in the provinces' laboratories. The study he conducted was small by comparison, Dr. Gaboury said.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, more than 100 breast cancer patients have died since their inaccurate tests, though there is no way of knowing if the errors hastened their demise."
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
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