Oncology” case: Prosecutor’s Office questions defense expert’s conclusions

The next hearing in the “Oncology” case continued today at the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje, where the Prosecutor’s Office challenged the conclusions of defense expert Vladimir Danilovski regarding the therapies used on patients with oncological diseases.

During the trial of former Oncology Clinic director Nino Vasev and two oncology doctors, who are accused of negligent treatment of patients, prosecutors questioned the expert about the doses, therapies and specific treatment cases. In his expert report, Danilovski stated that the treatments had been administered in accordance with European protocols, presenting this as part of the basis for his expert opinion.

In most of his answers, the expert insisted that the matter concerned oncology and that he stood by the opinion provided in the expert report, as well as by his explanations during the hearing.

Speaking about a particular patient, Danilovski stated that the therapy administered had resulted in a period of control and survival of 38 months. According to him, for such a condition, average survival with modern systemic therapy ranges from 16 to 24 months.

Asked whether he knew where in the world cytostatics had been used to treat liver cancer over the past 30 years, the expert replied: “No, I am not aware of that.”

Regarding the toxicity of the combined therapy, he said that side effects must be confirmed through toxicological analyses, laboratory parameters or evidence of organ damage. “Every medicine has side effects, not only oncology medicines,” Danilovski stressed.

The Prosecutor’s Office also asked the expert to identify the official protocols on which he based his conclusion that the specific therapy used had been appropriate.

“This expert, if you look at his presentation, reaches conclusions, but does not say where he draws them from. I think it is very important for him to answer that,” the prosecutor said./Telegrafi/