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.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy appears to be safe, effective for some pancreatic cancer patients

Two studies from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers add to preliminary evidence that high-dose radiation treatment, called stereotactic body radiotherapy, appears to be safe and as effective as standard radiation treatment for certain patients with pancreatic cancer whose tumors are advanced but have not spread.

20 May 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers identify new therapy to treat lung cancer

A multidisciplinary team led by Johns Hopkins researcher Venu Raman, Ph.D., with notable contributions from Guus Bol, Farhad Vesuna and Phuoc Tran of Johns Hopkins, has identified a new therapy for lung cancer, the most common cancer worldwide. The therapy has been in development for six years and involves a first-in-class molecule designed by the team.

20 May 2015

Scientists identify new molecules that destroy cancer cells, save healthy ones

Researchers have identified new molecules that kill cancer cells while protecting healthy cells and that could be used to treat a variety of different cancers. The research shines a light on what happens to cells at the moment they become cancerous.

15 May 2015

Prostate cancer patients can experience cognitive impairment following androgen deprivation therapy

Cognitive impairment can occur in cancer patients who are treated with a variety of therapies, including radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.

14 May 2015

Prostate cancer patients who receive androgen deprivation therapy may experience cognitive problems

Cognitive impairment can occur in cancer patients who are treated with a variety of therapies, including radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. After chemotherapy treatment it is commonly called "chemo brain." Signs of cognitive impairment include forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, problems recalling information, trouble multi-tasking and becoming slower at processing information.

13 May 2015

Study: Disrupting cancer pathway could extend benefits of new immunity-boosting drugs

Understanding how to overrule a signaling pathway that can cause treatments to fail in metastatic melanoma patients should help physicians extend the benefits of recently approved immunity-boosting drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors to more patients.

12 May 2015

Study analyzes outcomes of brain metastases patients following stereotactic radiosurgery

Winner of the Leksell Radiosurgery Award, Deborah C. Marshall, recently presented her research, Survival Patterns of Patients with Cerebral Metastases after Multiple Rounds of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), at the 2015 American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting.

7 May 2015

Elekta striving to build radiation therapy infrastructures and save lives of cancer patients in Africa

In Africa, cancer kills more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Approximately 40 percent of cancer cases can be prevented and 40 percent can be cured with the right treatment. Together with Elekta, ministries of health in almost a dozen African nations are working to build up their radiation therapy infrastructures and save lives.

From Elekta 6 May 2015

Moderate exercise on a regular basis may improve cancer treatments

Kansas State University kinesiology research offers encouraging information for cancer patients: A brisk walk or a slow jog on a regular basis may be the key to improved cancer treatments.

5 May 2015

OncoGenex provides update on Phase 3 ENSPIRIT trial evaluating custirsen for treatment of NSCLC

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today it has filed an amendment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as initiated filing with regulatory agencies in other countries, to amend the statistical design and analysis plan of its pivotal, international Phase 3 ENSPIRIT trial evaluating custirsen in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

30 Apr 2015

OncoGenex terminates agreement with Teva, regains rights to custirsen

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, OncoGenex Technologies Inc., executed a termination agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd. under which OncoGenex will regain rights to custirsen, an investigational compound currently in Phase 3 clinical development as a treatment for prostate and lung cancers.

27 Apr 2015

Men who receive brachytherapy more likely to be cancer-free five years later

Results from a randomised controlled trial to compare the use of permanent radioactive implants (brachytherapy) with dose-escalated external beam radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer show that the men who received brachytherapy were twice as likely to be cancer-free five years later.

27 Apr 2015

Increasing radiotherapy can significantly improve survival for children with intracranial ependymoma

Two studies to be presented today (Sunday) at the 3rd ESTRO Forum in Barcelona, Spain, show that increasing the dose of radiotherapy given to children with an intracranial ependymoma, a form of cancer of the central nervous system, can significantly improve their survival.

27 Apr 2015

Brachytherapy improves overall survival for women with inoperable early stage endometrial cancer

Women who have early stage endometrial cancer and are inoperable tend to live longer if they have been treated with brachytherapy with or without external beam radiation, according to new research to be presented at the 3rd ESTRO Forum in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday.

27 Apr 2015

Elekta introduces new Leksell Gamma Knife Icon to treat patients with brain disease

With the introduction of Elekta's new Leksell Gamma Knife Icon, the benefits of precision cranial radiosurgery are now available for more patients with a wider variety of tumor types and sizes.

From Elekta 25 Apr 2015

iCAD announces adoption of Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System in Spain

iCAD, Inc., an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapy for the early identification and treatment of cancer, today announced the first Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy (eBx) System in Spain is now available at the Hospital Miguel Servet for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, non-melanoma skin cancer and gynecological cancers.

25 Apr 2015

ViewRay to exhibit MRI-guided radiation therapy system at ESTRO Forum

ViewRay, makers of the world's first and only MRI-guided radiation therapy system, announced today that the company will showcase its MRIdian System at the 3rd ESTRO Forum, the annual meeting of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, being held April 24-28, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain.

23 Apr 2015

Accuray to highlight CyberKnife, TomoTherapy technologies at ESTRO meeting

Accuray Incorporated announced today that the company will highlight new CyberKnife and TomoTherapy technologies at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting, booth #2100, in Barcelona, Spain, April 24 – 27, 2015.

23 Apr 2015

Oral MCP enhances anti-cancer, anti-metastatic effects of radiation therapy in prostate cancer treatment

Scientists at Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel, have found that oral modified citrus pectin (MCP) enhances the anti-cancer and anti-metastatic effects of radiation therapy in the treatment of androgen-independent (AI) aggressive prostate cancer cells.

22 Apr 2015

Accuray's InCise MLC for CyberKnife M6 System now available outside the U.S.

Accuray Incorporated announced today that the InCise Multileaf Collimator (MLC) for the CyberKnife M6 System will now be available outside the United States in markets where it is approved for sale, in addition to the U.S. market where the InCise MLC was commercially launched in February 2015.

21 Apr 2015

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Stereotactic body radiotherapy appears to be safe, effective for some pancreatic cancer patients

Johns Hopkins researchers identify new therapy to treat lung cancer

Scientists identify new molecules that destroy cancer cells, save healthy ones

Prostate cancer patients can experience cognitive impairment following androgen deprivation therapy

Prostate cancer patients who receive androgen deprivation therapy may experience cognitive problems

Study: Disrupting cancer pathway could extend benefits of new immunity-boosting drugs

Study analyzes outcomes of brain metastases patients following stereotactic radiosurgery

Elekta striving to build radiation therapy infrastructures and save lives of cancer patients in Africa

Moderate exercise on a regular basis may improve cancer treatments

OncoGenex provides update on Phase 3 ENSPIRIT trial evaluating custirsen for treatment of NSCLC

OncoGenex terminates agreement with Teva, regains rights to custirsen

Men who receive brachytherapy more likely to be cancer-free five years later

Increasing radiotherapy can significantly improve survival for children with intracranial ependymoma

Brachytherapy improves overall survival for women with inoperable early stage endometrial cancer

Elekta introduces new Leksell Gamma Knife Icon to treat patients with brain disease

iCAD announces adoption of Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System in Spain

ViewRay to exhibit MRI-guided radiation therapy system at ESTRO Forum

Accuray to highlight CyberKnife, TomoTherapy technologies at ESTRO meeting

Oral MCP enhances anti-cancer, anti-metastatic effects of radiation therapy in prostate cancer treatment

Accuray's InCise MLC for CyberKnife M6 System now available outside the U.S.

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