Breast cancer survivor Gerry Rogers: 'It's really difficult on patients and their families, and it's difficult on the general population of the province, too.' (John Gushue/CBC)

Eastern Health, the authority at the centre of Newfoundland and Labrador's breast cancer testing scandal, mishandled the release of information late last week showing that more than three dozen cases had been missed, patients say.

Late Friday afternoon, Eastern Health issued a news release that revealed 38 patients had been identified who had never been among a sweeping review of cases needed retesting of lab work.

After issuing the release, Eastern Health refused media interviews, saying it had nothing to add.

A 'very painful issue'

Gerry Rogers, a St. John's filmmaker who has been an advocate for cancer patients, said the release of the information should have been better handled.

"[It's a] very painful issue, a very painful process. It's really difficult on patients and their families, and it's difficult on the general population of the province, too," Rogers told CBC News.

"They can't just issue this kind of information where there [are] so many questions unanswered and just say, 'That's it.' And particularly late on a Friday afternoon."

On Sunday evening, though, Eastern Health said the authority would make a public comment on Monday.

Friday afternoon's release, which was under the innocuous-sounding title of "Eastern Health moves forward with Cameron recommendations," revealed that "at least 24" of the 38 patients died before problems with their hormone receptor tests were uncovered, meaning that it is unclear whether they received the best treatment options.

Four of the living patients will need further testing and may need changes in therapy.

At least 10 of the living patients do or did not require a change in treatment, because they had been given the antihormonal therapy Tamoxifen or another treatment anyway.

Norman White, the only male breast cancer patient to testify at last year's Cameron inquiry, said he is upset with how Eastern Health — which came in for stinging criticism throughout the inquiry — handled the latest information.

"This is the kind of stuff that's continually going on," White said.

"They said they are correcting these problems but they haven't proved to at least us people directly involved in the inquiry ... that they're doing their damnedest to see this doesn't happen again," White said.

Retesting discovers treatment change needed

Justice Margaret Cameron's investigation into the cancer tests found failures at almost every level of the health-care system, from poor handling of samples to shoddy quality control measures, to managers who missed or ignored warnings of serious problems.

The inquiry focused on particular hormone receptor tests that help determine whether a breast cancer patient can benefit from the toxic but potent therapy Tamoxifen.

In 2005, Eastern Health began a retesting process that would involve almost 1,000 patients.

By last year, the retesting process had found that 386 of the patients required a change in treatment. At the start of the inquiry in March 2008, the Newfoundland and Labrador government reported that 108 of those patients had died.