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.

Patients who receive definitive CCRT treatment for stage III NSCLC have longer overall survival

Patients treated with definitive concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CCRT) for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have longer overall survival when treated by highly experienced facilities, whether or not they are academic or community cancer centers.

12 Mar 2015

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy combination improves outcomes for people with low-grade brain cancer

New clinical-trial findings provide further evidence that combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy is the best treatment for people with a low-grade form of brain cancer. The findings come from a phase II study co-led by a researcher at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and researchers at the University of Maryland and at London Regional Cancer Program in Ontario, Canada.

10 Mar 2015

United Therapeutics announces FDA approval of dinutuximab for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma

United Therapeutics Corporation announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Unituxin (dinutuximab) Injection (formerly called ch14.18), in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and 13-cis-retinoic acid (RA), for the treatment of pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who achieve at least a partial response to prior first-line multiagent, multimodality therapy.

10 Mar 2015

Varian Medical Systems plans to expand operations in Fulton County, Georgia

Varian Medical Systems, the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer as well as a premier supplier of X-ray imaging components, today announced that it will expand its operations in Fulton County, Georgia. Company officials anticipate that this expansion will enable it to better serve its East Coast customers and accommodate anticipated growth that will create up to 100 new high-paying technical jobs over the next five years.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers identify new class of drugs that slows aging process

A research team from The Scripps Research Institute, Mayo Clinic and other institutions has identified a new class of drugs that in animal models dramatically slows the aging process—alleviating symptoms of frailty, improving cardiac function and extending a healthy lifespan.

10 Mar 2015

Breast cancer survivors at increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, finds new study

Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, especially within five years of their breast cancer diagnosis, according to a new analysis of a large national database. The study results will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.

9 Mar 2015

Oraya's IRay Radiotherapy system gets CE Mark to treat choroidal metastases

Oraya Therapeutics announced today that the Oraya IRay® Radiotherapy system has received a CE Mark extension for the treatment of choroidal metastases, a cancer in the eye, originating most commonly from primary sites in the breast or lung.

6 Mar 2015

ILROG guideline outlines treatment options for pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients

The International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group has issued a guideline that outlines the use of 3-D computed tomography (CT)-based radiation therapy planning and volumetric image guidance to more effectively treat pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma and to reduce the radiation dose to normal tissue, thus decreasing the risk of late side effects.

4 Mar 2015

SARAH study completes patient enrolment to evaluate treatment for primary liver cancer

SARAH, a large French study of patients with advanced, inoperable primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC) has completed patient enrolment, exceeding its 400-patient target, according to its principal investigator, Professor Valérie Vilgrain MD, PhD, Department of Radiology, Beaujon Hospital, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France.

4 Mar 2015

Novel drug mechanism shows promise against glioma cells

Researchers at UC Davis have developed and characterized a molecule that interferes with the internal regulation of cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct. This novel mechanism was found to be effective against glioma cells - responsible for a usually fatal type of brain cancer - and could be applicable to other highly aggressive cancers.

4 Mar 2015

Research may help cancer centers provide better radiation therapy

Using complex computational algorithms based on repeated sampling, a University of Arkansas graduate student helped spearhead a project to develop a computer simulator that provides customized electron beam tunings for radiation therapy.

4 Mar 2015

Key questions about colorectal cancer answered

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the U.S., with more than 136,000 new patients diagnosed last year. But thanks to increased awareness about screenings, the death rate from colorectal cancer has been dropping for more than 20 years.

4 Mar 2015

Chiasma closes $70 million Series E financing round

Chiasma, Inc., a U.S. privately-held biopharma company developing octreotide capsules, its lead product for the orphan condition acromegaly, today announced the closing of a $70 million Series E financing round.

27 Feb 2015

Varian reports progress towards making advanced treatments available for cancer patients in Africa

Varian Medical Systems, world leader in radiation therapy, is today reporting progress towards its goal of making advanced treatments systems more available for cancer patients across Africa. The company is presenting to government and healthcare leaders at the 2nd Africa Healthcare Summit.

27 Feb 2015

Study focuses on improving therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients through diet-drug combination

Boosting anti-cancer immunity through diet and novel drug therapies—that's the idea behind a collaborative project involving researchers from the South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy and Sanford Research in Sioux Falls.

27 Feb 2015

Noble Hospital surgeon to present work on new breast cancer device at Miami Breast Cancer Conference

A Noble Hospital breast surgeon's work with a new device that improves treatment of breast cancers will be featured later this month at a prestigious international medical conference.

26 Feb 2015

Cherenkov Effect can help make radiation therapy safer, more effective for patients with cancer

The characteristic blue glow from a nuclear reactor is present in radiation therapy, too. Investigators from Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, led by Brian W. Pogue, PhD, and PhD candidates Adam K. Glaser and Rongxiao Zhang, published in Physics in Medicine and Biology how the complex parts of the blue light known as the Cherenkov Effect can be measured and used in dosimetry to make therapies safer and more effective.

26 Feb 2015

Accuray, Lancaster announces commercial availability of InCise MLC for CyberKnife M6 System

Accuray Incorporated and Lancaster General Health announced today that the first commercially available InCise Multileaf Collimator (MLC) for the CyberKnife M6 System has been received by Lancaster.

24 Feb 2015

Fox Chase Cancer Center's Radiation Oncology Department earns ACR accreditation

Fox Chase Cancer Center's Radiation Oncology Department, an international leader known for offering the latest advancements in radiation treatment, has earned accreditation from the American College of Radiology for another three years at both its main campus in Northeast Philadelphia and Buckingham facility.

23 Feb 2015

Research findings lay groundwork for improving treatment assessment for men with prostate cancer

UCLA researchers have found that radiation therapy is the most common treatment for men with prostate cancer regardless of the aggressiveness of the tumor, risk to the patient and overall patient prognosis. These findings lay the groundwork for improved treatment assessment by physicians and to better inform men fighting the disease.

20 Feb 2015

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Patients who receive definitive CCRT treatment for stage III NSCLC have longer overall survival

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy combination improves outcomes for people with low-grade brain cancer

United Therapeutics announces FDA approval of dinutuximab for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma

Varian Medical Systems plans to expand operations in Fulton County, Georgia

Researchers identify new class of drugs that slows aging process

Breast cancer survivors at increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, finds new study

Oraya's IRay Radiotherapy system gets CE Mark to treat choroidal metastases

ILROG guideline outlines treatment options for pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients

SARAH study completes patient enrolment to evaluate treatment for primary liver cancer

Novel drug mechanism shows promise against glioma cells

Research may help cancer centers provide better radiation therapy

Key questions about colorectal cancer answered

Chiasma closes $70 million Series E financing round

Varian reports progress towards making advanced treatments available for cancer patients in Africa

Study focuses on improving therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients through diet-drug combination

Noble Hospital surgeon to present work on new breast cancer device at Miami Breast Cancer Conference

Cherenkov Effect can help make radiation therapy safer, more effective for patients with cancer

Accuray, Lancaster announces commercial availability of InCise MLC for CyberKnife M6 System

Fox Chase Cancer Center's Radiation Oncology Department earns ACR accreditation

Research findings lay groundwork for improving treatment assessment for men with prostate cancer

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