Radiation Therapy News and Research

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Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy, x-ray therapy, or irradiation) is the use of a certain type of energy (called ionizing radiation) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy injures or destroys cells in the area being treated (the “target tissue”) by damaging their genetic material, making it impossible for these cells to continue to grow and divide. Although radiation damages both cancer cells and normal cells, most normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation and function properly. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage as many cancer cells as possible, while limiting harm to nearby healthy tissue.

COMP issues positive opinion for Celsion's ThermoDox Orphan Drug Designation

Celsion Corporation, a leading oncology drug development company, today announced that the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a positive opinion on the application for Orphan Drug Designation for ThermoDox, a proprietary heat-activated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), commonly referred to as primary liver cancer.

12 Nov 2010

NephRx initiates NX001 Phase I clinical trial to prevent DGF in kidney transplant patients

NephRx Corporation today announced that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound NX001 and has successfully dosed the first subject in the study. NX001, a kidney growth factor peptide that has demonstrated good safety and promising efficacy in two animal models of acute renal failure, is in development for the prevention of delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplantation patients.

11 Nov 2010

BSD Medical awarded two grants under QTDP Program

BSD Medical Corporation announced today that it has received the maximum award provided by the U.S. government for a single program for two separate grants under the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project ("QTDP") Program.

10 Nov 2010

$Long-term androgen deprivation therapy increases risk of fracture in older men with prostate cancer$

Long-term androgen deprivation therapy increases risk of fracture in older men with prostate cancer

Men with history of fracture and comorbidities are at an increased risk of fracture after long-term use of androgen deprivation therapy, and initiating this therapy should be carefully considered in older men with localized prostate cancer.

9 Nov 2010

EUSA completes BLA filing for ERWINASE in treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, today announced that it has submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ERWINASE(R) (L-asparaginase derived from Erwinia chrysanthemi) for use in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase.

9 Nov 2010

Scientists develop nanobioconjugate drug to target brain tumor

Nine years ago, scientists at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute detected a subtle shift occurring in the molecular makeup of the most aggressive type of brain tumors, glioblastoma multiforme. With further study, they found that a specific protein called laminin-411 plays a major role in a tumor's ability to build new blood vessels to support its growth and spread. But technology did not exist then to block this protein.

9 Nov 2010

Women prefer silicone implants after double mastectomy

A new study has found that women who receive silicone implants after a double mastectomy are more satisfied with their breasts than women who receive saline implants. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings may help physicians and breast cancer survivors as they together make decisions related to postmastectomy reconstructive surgery.

9 Nov 2010

Gentium third quarter total revenues increase to EUR 5.91 million

Gentium S.p.A. today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. The Company reports its financial condition and operating results using U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The Company's financial statements are prepared using the Euro as its functional currency.

8 Nov 2010

EUSA Pharma announces 10-year outcome data of PROSTASCINT in prostate cancer radiotherapy

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, announced today the publication of 10-year outcome data showing that PROSTASCINT(R) (capromab pendetide) fusion imaging is an effective tool for targeting and guiding the dosing of prostate cancer radiotherapy.

4 Nov 2010

Level of prostate-specific protein after salvage radiation therapy predicts mortality and disease progression

Removal of the prostate gland often eradicates early-stage cancer. But patients whose cancer has spread may need to follow up with what is known as salvage radiation therapy. Researchers at Fox Chase have now determined a better way to monitor outcomes after this procedure.

4 Nov 2010

Jefferson professor named 'Physician of the Year' by CancerCare

Edith P. Mitchell, M.D., clinical professor, Department of Medical Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and associate director of Diversity Programs for the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, was recently named 'Physician of the Year' by CancerCare, a national nonprofit organization that provides free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved. Dr. Mitchell is being honored for her work in gastrointestinal malignancies.

4 Nov 2010

New antibody with SGN-35 drug produces remission in Hodgkin lymphoma

An antibody loaded with an anti-cancer agent produced complete or partial remissions in 38 percent of patients with relapsed or therapy-resistant Hodgkin lymphoma enrolled in a phase I clinical trial, investigators report in the Nov. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

4 Nov 2010

Medicare reimbursement cuts lead to decline in unnecessary or inappropriate care

When Medicare policy changes led to reductions in reimbursement for hormonal treatment of prostate cancer, there was a sharp decline in its use among patients not likely to benefit from the treatment. But among patients for whom the therapy is clearly beneficial, doctors continued to prescribe it at the same rate, according to a new study.

4 Nov 2010

EUSA announces publication of PROSTASCINT imaging for prostate cancer in official journal of American Society

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, announced today the publication of 10-year outcome data showing that PROSTASCINT (capromab pendetide) fusion imaging is an effective tool for targeting and guiding the dosing of prostate cancer radiotherapy.

3 Nov 2010

Radiation oncologist says radiation quality assurance practices need to be standardized

In 2009, after The New York Times reported a series of mistakes in radiation therapy delivery, a team of radiation oncologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson decided to investigate how thoroughly different hospitals use "chart rounds" to review the radiotherapy cancer patients receive.

3 Nov 2010

LVI in breast tissue predicts recurrence of breast cancer in regional lymph nodes

Breast cancer, one of the most prevalent cancers in women, afflicts an additional 200,000 women each year and causes about 40,000 deaths annually. The disease often extends to neighboring lymph nodes, in part, through lymphovascular invasion (LVI)-a process in which cancer cells invade blood vessels or the lymphatic system-and can often translate into a poor prognosis for patients.

3 Nov 2010

Study finds risk of toxicity in Phase I radiation oncology clinical trials

Risks to patients enrolled in Phase I radiation oncology clinical trials are higher than previously appreciated, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. The findings will be presented at the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in San Diego.

3 Nov 2010

Celsion receives $244,000 grant under QTDP program

Celsion Corporation today announced that the company has been awarded a $244,000 grant under the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) program under The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA).

3 Nov 2010

Image Guided IMRT preserves sexual function in men after prostatectomy

Men battling prostate cancer who receive Image Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy after undergoing prostatectomy have an excellent chance of retaining sexual function, according to a study by Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) cancer specialists presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology in San Diego.

3 Nov 2010

Patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV have better chances of survival

When the human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in cancer tumours of the tonsil and base of the tongue, patients are more likely to survive following treatment.

3 Nov 2010

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

COMP issues positive opinion for Celsion's ThermoDox Orphan Drug Designation

NephRx initiates NX001 Phase I clinical trial to prevent DGF in kidney transplant patients

BSD Medical awarded two grants under QTDP Program

Long-term androgen deprivation therapy increases risk of fracture in older men with prostate cancer

EUSA completes BLA filing for ERWINASE in treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Scientists develop nanobioconjugate drug to target brain tumor

Women prefer silicone implants after double mastectomy

Gentium third quarter total revenues increase to EUR 5.91 million

EUSA Pharma announces 10-year outcome data of PROSTASCINT in prostate cancer radiotherapy

Level of prostate-specific protein after salvage radiation therapy predicts mortality and disease progression

Jefferson professor named 'Physician of the Year' by CancerCare

New antibody with SGN-35 drug produces remission in Hodgkin lymphoma

Medicare reimbursement cuts lead to decline in unnecessary or inappropriate care

EUSA announces publication of PROSTASCINT imaging for prostate cancer in official journal of American Society

Radiation oncologist says radiation quality assurance practices need to be standardized

LVI in breast tissue predicts recurrence of breast cancer in regional lymph nodes

Study finds risk of toxicity in Phase I radiation oncology clinical trials

Celsion receives $244,000 grant under QTDP program

Image Guided IMRT preserves sexual function in men after prostatectomy

Patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV have better chances of survival

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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