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.

Johns Hopkins study sheds light on resistance to radiation treatment

A new Johns Hopkins study offers promise towards someday being able to non-invasively examine changes in cancerous tumors to determine whether they'll respond to radiation treatment, before treatment even begins.

1 Mar 2019

Breast cancer survivors more optimistic about changes occurred due to their illness

Two years after diagnosis, breast cancer survivors have four times more positive than negative thoughts about changes they experienced because of their illness, a new study found.

27 Feb 2019

Study suggests new treatment strategy for deadly brain cancer

In a study of mice and human brain tumors researchers at the University of the Michigan, Ann Arbor, searched for new treatments by exploring the reasons why some patients with gliomas live remarkably longer than others.

19 Feb 2019

Researchers report progress in the treatment of aggressive brain tumors

Cancer researchers at the University of Bonn have reported significant progress in the treatment of glioblastoma. About one third of all patients suffer from a particular variant of this most common and aggressive brain tumor.

18 Feb 2019

H-RT should be the standard of care for men with low risk prostate cancer, study shows

Results from the NRG Oncology clinical study NRG-RTOG 0415 determined that a hypofractionated radiotherapy schedule, a treatment schedule that delivers a total dose of radiotherapy over a shorter period of time, is not worse than the conventional radiotherapy schedule in terms of bowel, bladder, sexual, and general quality of life as well as anxiety and depression for men with low risk prostate cancer.

15 Feb 2019

Researchers to investigate light therapy as relief from painful side effect of cancer treatment

University at Buffalo researchers have received part of a $1.5 million grant to investigate light therapy as a replacement for prescription opioids in treating oral mucositis, painful ulcers and swelling in the mouth that result from chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer.

12 Feb 2019

Watchful waiting in prostate cancer becoming more popular

In 2010, the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines suggested that patients with stable and low-risk prostate cancers could be managed with active surveillance or watchful waiting (AS/WW). AS/WW was considered to be a safe and effective alternative to aggressive surgery to remove the prostate and radiation therapy.

11 Feb 2019

Stereotactic body radiotherapy effective in treating men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer

A new UCLA-led study shows that men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer can safely undergo higher doses of radiation over a significantly shorter period of time and still have the same, successful outcomes as from a much longer course of treatment.

11 Feb 2019

Osaka University-centered study finds concerning trends in cervical cancer and treatment response

Cervical cancer rates can be greatly reduced through preventive measures against the human papillomavirus along with proactive cancer screening. Japan may be showing how ignoring that knowledge could prove hazardous, as it is the only advanced economy in which the cervical cancer rate is increasing. New research adds further nuance to this situation.

7 Feb 2019

Study: Site of care could determine patients' access to palliative treatment

For patients at the end of life, palliative care can prolong survival and improve the quality of life for patients with a life-threatening illness and for their families.

4 Feb 2019

Autologous breast reconstruction after failed implant reconstruction gives good outcomes

Implants are usually the first choice for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. But when implant-based reconstruction fails, autologous reconstruction - using the patient's own tissues - is a safe procedure that improves patient outcomes, reports a study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

31 Jan 2019

Nine early career scientists named 2019 recipients of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation announced that nine scientists with novel approaches to fighting cancer have been named 2019 recipients of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award.

24 Jan 2019

Hepatitis C-infected patients with a history of liver cancer can be treated with antivirals

A large, multi-center study refutes earlier suggestions that antiviral drugs for treating hepatitis C may lead to a higher recurrence of liver cancer.

18 Jan 2019

First patient enrolled in pancreatic cancer clinical trial

The Henry Ford Cancer Institute announced today it has enrolled the first patient in a new clinical trial to test the effectiveness of using precise, higher dose MRI-guided radiation therapy to treat pancreatic cancer.

7 Jan 2019

Study of rare uterine sarcoma reveals clinically relevant molecular subtypes

Undifferentiated uterine sarcoma is a very rare but extremely aggressive cancer type. It can be divided into four groups with different characteristics of clinical importance - a new study at Karolinska Institutet reveals.

7 Jan 2019

Molecular signatures reveal why women are more likely to die from glioblastoma

Scientists have discovered molecular signatures that reveal why women are more likely to develop and die from the brain cancer, glioblastoma.

2 Jan 2019

CWRU researcher receives nearly $1 million to study drug resistance mechanisms in prostate cancer

Sanjay Gupta, PhD, of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center will receive $962,000 over three years to investigate drug resistance mechanisms in prostate cancer.

24 Dec 2018

Interval of time to biochemical failure could be used as surrogate endpoint for prostate cancer

An analysis of the NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-RTOG 9202 showed that the interval of time to biochemical failure, or the time it takes for previously treated cancer to return as indicated by prostate specific antigen rise, could be used as a surrogate endpoint for locally advanced prostate cancer.

21 Dec 2018

Scientists investigate potential of nanomaterials to activate the body's antitumor immune response

The importance of research into the role of the immune system in the development and therapy of oncological diseases was emphasized by the Royal Swedish Academy, which recently named James Allison and Tasuku Honjo recipients of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor.

20 Dec 2018

UMGCCC uses Gammapod radiotherapy to treat breast cancer patients

Radiation oncologists at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center are now treating patients with the GammaPod™, a new FDA-cleared radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer.

6 Dec 2018