Prostate cancer patient's hidden radiation 'seeds' set off airportalarm

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

    Prostate cancer patient's hidden radiation 'seeds' set off airport alarm



    A Canadian man undergoing prostate cancer therapy was recently

    pulled aside by guards at a major airport and interrogated after

    radioactive "seeds" set off security alarms. The man, who frequently

    travels to the United States, was passing through customs late last

    year when he was approached by a guard, according to a report on the

    incident in the Canadian Medical Association Journal today. "He was

    taken into a separate room where he was asked to stand against the

    wall and refrain from speaking while workers examined his luggage,"

    says the report by Hamilton doctors involved in his treatment.

    "Eventually, he was asked why he kept setting off the radiation

    detector." The man explained it might have something to do with the

    radioactive iodine "seeds" implanted in his prostate gland, which is

    tucked inside the body under the penis. The seeds emit radiation and

    are implanted to kill cancerous cells. The patient was released

    after a senior customs official whose brother was undergoing similar

    treatment verified the legitimacy of the procedure.



    National Post

    www.Canada.com





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