Man dies during cancer drug trial

The hospital said it is reviewing its processes

A 27-year-old-man has died from an overdose during a cancer drugs trial at the University College London Hospital.

Gary Foster, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, was given double the amount of chemotherapy he should have been prescribed, the hospital said.

The hospital's computer system has been blamed for an error in the set-up of the trial which led to the death.

Another cancer patient who was also exposed to an overdose during the drug trial has survived.

The hospital said it has reviewed its drugs testing procedures and processes and has "made all appropriate changes to improve patient safety in response to this accident".

'Additional checks'

University College London Hospital, in Euston Road, north London, said Mr Foster, who suffered from "very widespread testicular cancer", had been treated at the hospital since he was referred last June.

A statement from the hospital said: "He was treated intensively and, despite an initial improvement in his condition, died as a result of drug toxicity.

"The measures introduced to address the lessons the trust has learnt include: a second separate check by senior pharmacy staff in collaboration with the supervising consultants of all protocols on the trust's electronic chemotherapy prescribing system and additional checks by nurses of the chemotherapy toxicity for every patient before repeated doses are given."

The coroner's report of Mr Foster's inquest is awaited.