Two patients die from toxic reaction to chemotherapy

TWO Irish cancer patients died within weeks of each other from a very rare toxic reaction to a common chemotherapy treatment, an inquest has found.

But a leading cancer specialist said it would not be practical to introduce a complex blood screening procedure here which identifies those at risk.

Dr Seamus O’Reilly, a medical oncologist at Cork University Hospital (CUH), was speaking during the inquest into the death of Maureen Patten, 64, from Tower in Co Cork.

Ms Patten died in CUH on February 20, 2007, after suffering a toxic reaction to a chemotherapy protocol which has been in place in Ireland since 2001.

The drugs destroyed the wall of her intestine causing E-coli to seep into her system, leading ultimately to a fatal heart attack.

Cork Coroner’s Court was told that hundreds of cancer patients nationwide are treated daily with the same drugs which caused Ms Patten’s death.

However, Dr O’Reilly told city coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, that in his 15 years’ experience in cancer medicine, he was aware of just two such deaths from this toxic reaction.

The other death was in Dublin earlier this year and occurred within weeks of Ms Patten’s death.

The inquest heard that Ms Patten underwent successful surgery to remove cancer from her stomach earlier this year.

Cancer specialist Dr Branislav Bystricky put her on a five-day course of chemotherapy on January 29 to boost her chances of recovery.

The treatment could have added between two and five years to her life, he said.

But Ms Patten returned to CUH on February 12 with a rash and ulcers in her mouth. Her condition deteriorated and she died eight days later.

It emerged during the inquest that she was among just 1% of the population which lacks a specific enzyme which helps break down chemotherapy drugs.

A complex blood test to identify people without this enzyme is only available at a centre in Alabama in the US.

Ms Patten’s family asked Dr Cullinane to recommend its introduction here.

But when she asked Dr O’Reilly whether or not it would be practical to recommend its introduction here, he said no.

“This is an extremely rare case,” Dr O’Reilly said.

“We are deeply upset. The lady had very good surgery and the treatment would have increased the standard of her improvement. This was a tragic outcome.”

Dr Bystricky said Ms Patten’s case was the first such toxic reaction he had seen in six years of cancer medicine. The treatment protocol will continue, he said.

Dr Cullinane recorded a verdict of death due to medical misadventure.