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.

Oxygen-filled microbubbles make breast tumors more sensitive to radiation therapy

Injecting breast cancer with oxygen-filled microbubbles makes tumors three-times more sensitive to radiation therapy and improves survival in animal models of the disease.

30 Jan 2018

UAMS Myeloma Institute expert compiles new book on Castleman disease

Castleman disease, a rare disorder of the lymph nodes and related tissues, was identified and named more than a half-century ago but, until recently, no one had written a book exclusively about it.

30 Jan 2018

Shorter courses of radiation effective for treatment of slow-growing skin cancers

A recent Penn State College of Medicine physician's study review suggests that shorter courses of radiation are preferable to longer ones for older patients receiving treatment for slow-growing skin cancers.

30 Jan 2018

New palliative radiation techniques could provide better quality of life for lung cancer patients

While palliative radiation therapy is used to ease pain in patients with advanced lung cancer, it often has adverse effects on the esophagus which leads to symptoms like heartburn and difficulty swallowing.

29 Jan 2018

New gel offers protection for organs at risk during prostate cancer treatment

Radiation therapy is a popular and effective treatment for many men with prostate cancer, and now a temporary gel offers greater protection for organs at risk during treatments.

23 Jan 2018

New discovery could help treat breast cancer through precision medicine

University of Alberta researchers have discovered a mechanism that may make cancer cells more susceptible to treatment. The research team found that the protein RYBP prevents DNA repair in cancer cells, including breast cancer.

9 Jan 2018

Radiation therapy algorithm could lessen side effects, maintain effectiveness of treatment

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a mathematical model for computing radiation therapy treatments that could substantially reduce patient side effects while delivering the same results as conventional radiation therapy.

5 Jan 2018

Small-cell lung cancer patients encounter obstacles to receiving standard-of-care treatment

Despite decades of clinical research establishing chemotherapy with thoracic radiation as the standard-of-care for the initial management of non-metastatic small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), a large percentage of U.S. patients do not receive these treatments and in turn have lower overall survival, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

4 Jan 2018

Supercomputers help scientists to devise cancer models for predicting individual treatment outcomes

Attempts to eradicate cancer are often compared to a "moonshot" -- the successful effort that sent the first astronauts to the moon.

3 Jan 2018

Blueberry extract can enhance effectiveness of cervical cancer treatment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.

29 Dec 2017

Novel GammaPod system receives FDA clearance to treat early stage breast cancer

The GammaPod - a first-of-its kind stereotactic radiotherapy system to treat early stage breast cancer - has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, paving the way for the manufacturer to bring the system to market for the treatment of breast cancer patients.

26 Dec 2017

Novel radiotherapy system receives FDA clearance for treating early stage breast cancer

The GammaPod – a first-of-its kind stereotactic radiotherapy system to treat early stage breast cancer – has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, paving the way for the manufacturer to bring the system to market for the treatment of breast cancer patients.

22 Dec 2017

Proton therapy center for treating cancer patients coming to Utah

A new cancer treatment technology is one step closer to Salt Lake City. Today Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah announced a plan to add a proton therapy center to its Cancer Hospital.

22 Dec 2017

RayStation chosen for new ultra-modern cancer center in Quebec

CRIC (Centre régional intégré de cancérologie) is an initiative to create a new ultra-modern cancer center in Levis, close to Quebec City. The facility will serve the Chaudière-Appalaches region. It will have the capacity to treat up to 1,700 patients per year, with the first treatments expected to take place in April 2019.

20 Dec 2017

Study explores use of radiosurgery in lung cancer patients with multiple brain metastases

Although targeted therapies have produced dramatic advances in our ability to control some types of advanced lung cancer, growth of the disease in the brain remains a major problem.

19 Dec 2017

Study finds racial, socioeconomic barriers to accessing life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer

Increasing use of a potentially life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer is leaving too many vulnerable patients behind, according to a new study from Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital published in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

19 Dec 2017

Cancer survivors have shorter lifespan finds new study

A large study has found that people who have survived cancer and its treatment are more likely to die sooner and have a shorter lifespan compared to those who have never had cancer.

18 Dec 2017

Offering lifesaving treatment for cervical cancer results in a net loss for hospitals

The evidence is clear: Cervical cancer is best treated with brachytherapy, a form of radiation therapy. Yet the use of this potentially lifesaving treatment has been declining, and a new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine may explain why.

15 Dec 2017

Radiation therapy can be used to treat patients with life-threatening heart rhythm

Radiation therapy often is used to treat cancer patients. Now, doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that radiation therapy - aimed directly at the heart -; can be used to treat patients with a life-threatening heart rhythm.

14 Dec 2017

Study provides new insights into mechanism of tumor survival in glioblastoma

A Northwestern Medicine study, published in the journal Cancer Cell, has provided new insights into a mechanism of tumor survival in glioblastoma and demonstrated that inhibiting the process could enhance the effects of radiation therapy.

11 Dec 2017

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Oxygen-filled microbubbles make breast tumors more sensitive to radiation therapy

UAMS Myeloma Institute expert compiles new book on Castleman disease

Shorter courses of radiation effective for treatment of slow-growing skin cancers

New palliative radiation techniques could provide better quality of life for lung cancer patients

New gel offers protection for organs at risk during prostate cancer treatment

New discovery could help treat breast cancer through precision medicine

Radiation therapy algorithm could lessen side effects, maintain effectiveness of treatment

Small-cell lung cancer patients encounter obstacles to receiving standard-of-care treatment

Supercomputers help scientists to devise cancer models for predicting individual treatment outcomes

Blueberry extract can enhance effectiveness of cervical cancer treatment

Novel GammaPod system receives FDA clearance to treat early stage breast cancer

Novel radiotherapy system receives FDA clearance for treating early stage breast cancer

Proton therapy center for treating cancer patients coming to Utah

RayStation chosen for new ultra-modern cancer center in Quebec

Study explores use of radiosurgery in lung cancer patients with multiple brain metastases

Study finds racial, socioeconomic barriers to accessing life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer

Cancer survivors have shorter lifespan finds new study

Offering lifesaving treatment for cervical cancer results in a net loss for hospitals

Radiation therapy can be used to treat patients with life-threatening heart rhythm

Study provides new insights into mechanism of tumor survival in glioblastoma

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