Radiation Therapy News and Research

RSS

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.

Using X-ray-nanoparticle interactions for improved radiation therapy

A new study has indicated a new way to deliver locally aggressive radiation therapy in cancer, using the element gadolinium.

30 Sep 2019

Paving the way towards new cancer radiation therapy using X-rays and nanoparticles

An element called gadolinium delivered into cancer cells releases killer electrons when hit by specially tuned X-rays. The approach, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could pave the way towards a new cancer radiation therapy.

30 Sep 2019

Lumpectomy is less invasive surgery and requires no hospitalization, shows study

It is well established that breast conservation, which involves the removal of a breast cancer along with a small rim of normal breast tissue around it and is followed by radiation therapy, is at least as effective as mastectomy (removal of the whole breast) for the treatment of early breast cancer.

27 Sep 2019

Partial, whole breast radiation after lumpectomy yield similar cosmetic outcomes

Whole breast radiation and partial breast radiation following a lumpectomy yield similar cosmetic outcomes for women diagnosed with early stages of cancer who wish to preserve their breasts.

26 Sep 2019

AI accurately predicts radiation therapy side effects for patients with head and neck cancers

For the first time, a sophisticated computer model has been shown to accurately predict two of the most challenging side effects associated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

26 Sep 2019

High-dose radiation effective for men whose prostate cancer has spread, trial shows

A randomized clinical trial of targeted, high-dose radiation for men with oligometastatic prostate cancer has shown the treatment to be an effective and safe option for patients who wish to delay hormone-suppression therapy.

26 Sep 2019

Adding radiation after immunotherapy increases PFS for some patients with metastatic NSCLC

Adding precisely aimed, escalated doses of radiation after patients no longer respond to immunotherapy reinvigorates the immune system in some patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, increasing progression-free survival.

26 Sep 2019

Noninvasive radiation therapy offers new hope for patients with high-risk heart arrhythmias

Treating high-risk heart patients with a single, high dose of radiation therapy can dramatically reduce episodes of rapid, abnormal heartbeats for more than two years, offering hope to patients who have exhausted other treatment options.

26 Sep 2019

Long-term hormone therapy does more harm than good for men with low PSAs after prostate surgery

A secondary analysis of a recent clinical trial that changed the standard of care for men with recurring prostate cancer finds long-term hormone therapy does more harm than good for many men and calls for rethinking treatment guidelines based on a patient's post-operative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.

26 Sep 2019

Research: Protein complex represents a new metabolic target for liver cancer

Disrupting a metabolic pathway in the liver in a way that creates a more "cancer-like" metabolism actually reduces tumor formation in a mouse model of liver cancer.

24 Sep 2019

Version of an antibiotic drug extends survival in mice with lethal pediatric brain tumors

Versions of an antibiotic drug called DON first isolated from soil bacteria more than 60 years ago have shown promising signs of extending survival in mice models of especially lethal pediatric brain tumors marked by the high expression of a cancer-causing gene known as the MYC oncogene, according to results of two studies from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

23 Sep 2019

Leukemia drug appears to be effective in treating deadly pediatric brain tumor

A drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia appears to be more effective at stopping a type of medulloblastoma in mouse models than existing treatments for the deadly pediatric brain tumor, reports a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego.

21 Sep 2019

New clinical trial tests immunotherapy drug for prostate cancer patients on active surveillance

Stephenson Cancer Center Testing Drug for Prostate Cancer Patients on Active Surveillance OKLAHOMA CITY - Men who are diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer usually opt for active surveillance - a monitoring of their cancer over time without undergoing treatments that would cause side effects.

20 Sep 2019

Whole-brain radiotherapy recommended for patients with brain metastases

Patients with brain metastases who received whole-brain radiotherapy that avoided memory-specific hippocampal neural stem cells experienced preserved cognitive function and reported fewer neurologic symptoms and better cognition over time, according to results from an NRG Oncology clinical trial presented Sept. 15, 2019 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

20 Sep 2019

Anti-cancer protein promotes tumor resistance, shows study

Areas of solid tumors that have limited access to oxygen, a condition called hypoxia, are highly resilient against chemo and radiation therapy.

20 Sep 2019

Low-dose aspirin may improve survival in patients with head and neck, lung cancers

What if a drug that sits in nearly everyone's medicine cabinet could help extend the lives of some cancer patients? In companion presentations at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, doctors from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center report new evidence that low-dose aspirin and other anti-inflammatories may improve survival in patients undergoing treatment for some head/neck and lung cancers.

19 Sep 2019

Study examines racial disparities in survival outcomes of pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

In what is believed to be the largest dataset study to date examining the role of race on survival outcome for pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, investigators at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey have found that black patients have significantly worse overall survival at five years than white patients when accounting for all available clinical variables.

18 Sep 2019

Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may benefit from radiation, experience reduced side effects

Treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with radiation therapy as an additional treatment while they wait for their CAR T cells to be manufactured may reduce the risk of CAR T therapy side effects once it is administered, according to a new study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

18 Sep 2019

IMRT and cisplatin treatment meets acceptability criteria for PFS and swallowing-related QOL

Results of the NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-HN002 indicated that the combination of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and cisplatin was able to meet acceptability criteria for progression-free survival (PFS) and swallowing-related quality of life for patients who have p16-positive, non-smoking-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

18 Sep 2019

Clinical trial finds no difference in pain response between SBRT and cEBRT for patients with spinal metastases

A Phase III, NRG Oncology clinical trial that compared radiosurgery or stereotactic body radiotherapy to the conventional radiotherapy for patients with spinal metastases indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the treatments for pain response, adverse events, FACT-G, BPI, and EQ-5D scores.

17 Sep 2019

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Using X-ray-nanoparticle interactions for improved radiation therapy

Paving the way towards new cancer radiation therapy using X-rays and nanoparticles

Lumpectomy is less invasive surgery and requires no hospitalization, shows study

Partial, whole breast radiation after lumpectomy yield similar cosmetic outcomes

AI accurately predicts radiation therapy side effects for patients with head and neck cancers

High-dose radiation effective for men whose prostate cancer has spread, trial shows

Adding radiation after immunotherapy increases PFS for some patients with metastatic NSCLC

Noninvasive radiation therapy offers new hope for patients with high-risk heart arrhythmias

Long-term hormone therapy does more harm than good for men with low PSAs after prostate surgery

Research: Protein complex represents a new metabolic target for liver cancer

Version of an antibiotic drug extends survival in mice with lethal pediatric brain tumors

Leukemia drug appears to be effective in treating deadly pediatric brain tumor

New clinical trial tests immunotherapy drug for prostate cancer patients on active surveillance

Whole-brain radiotherapy recommended for patients with brain metastases

Anti-cancer protein promotes tumor resistance, shows study

Low-dose aspirin may improve survival in patients with head and neck, lung cancers

Study examines racial disparities in survival outcomes of pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may benefit from radiation, experience reduced side effects

IMRT and cisplatin treatment meets acceptability criteria for PFS and swallowing-related QOL

Clinical trial finds no difference in pain response between SBRT and cEBRT for patients with spinal metastases

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

Latest News