Farrah Fawcett is 'fighting for her life and won't surrender' in cancer battle

Farrah Fawcett's lawyer yesterday scotched reports that the actress has given up in her fight against cancer.

"She's fighting for her life," said Kim Swartz.

"It's disturbing to her when there are false reports that she's given up and wants to die, when the opposite is true.

"She's a strong person and a fighter."

Former Charlie's Angels star Miss Fawcett, 61, is being treated in Germany for a recurrence of cancer of the colon a year after she thought she had beaten the disease.

Her lawyer was speaking after it was revealed that a worker at the U.S. hospital where the actress was previously being treated had been fired for leaking details of her medical records to newspapers.

It came just weeks after UCLA Medical Centre announced that several employees were fired for sneaking peeks at Britney Spears' files.

Doctors declared Fawcett cancer-free in February 2007, but her cancer returned a few months later.

Fawcett expressed concern to a doctor in May that details of her condition were being leaked to tabloids, and he reported it to hospital executives.

Ms Swartz, said an employee at the hospital accessed Fawcett's medical records without authorisation, and details about her cancer treatment later showed up in the National Enquirer.

The tabloid published details about a recurrence in Fawcett's cancer before she had a chance to tell family and friends, Swartz said.

The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site yesterday that hospital officials fired an employee who reviewed Fawcett's records without authorisation.

The UCLA spokeswoman would not confirm a firing and would not specify the disciplinary action.

Moster said the hospital requires all staff to complete training on patient privacy issues and sign confidentiality agreements.

Enquirer senior reporter Alan Smith told the Times that Fawcett's cancer is newsworthy.

"We publish what we believe is accurate," he said.

The 1970s television icon is currently being treated for cancer in Germany. "She is cautiously optimistic," Craig J. Nevius told the Times. Nevius is producing a documentary about the former star of "Charlie's Angels" and her battle with cancer.

"Farrah has learned the hard way that with cancer, the test is time. At the moment she has no detectable cancer," he said.

Last month, UCLA Medical Centre announced the firing of 13 workers and disciplined several others for snooping into the electronic medical records of Britney Spears.

The California Department of Public Health launched an inquiry into UCLA's handling of Ms Fawcett's files, just as it had after the Britney incident, the Times reported.

It was the second time that Fawcett's privacy had been breached at UCLA, according to the Times.