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.

Using Refractory Metals in Cancer Treatments

This interview discusses how refractory metals can be used in cancer treatments.

From H.C. Starck Solutions 10 Dec 2014

Use of HF-WBI for patients with early-stage breast cancer increases 17.4%, study finds

The use of hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation (HF-WBI) for patients with early-stage breast cancer increased 17.4 percent from 2004 to 2011, and patients are more likely to receive HF-WBI compared to conventionally fractionated whole-breast irradiation (CF-WBI) when they are treated at an academic center or live ≥50 miles away from a cancer center, according to a study published in the December 1, 2014 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

10 Dec 2014

Revolutionary new approach uses advanced technology to remove head and neck cancer tumors

In a groundbreaking new study, UCLA researchers have for the first time advanced a surgical technique performed with the help of a robot to successfully access a previously-unreachable area of the head and neck.

10 Dec 2014

Findings open new avenues for research to predict risk of therapy-related AML

For a small percentage of cancer patients, treatment aimed at curing the disease leads to a form of leukemia with a poor prognosis. Conventional thinking goes that chemotherapy and radiation therapy induce a barrage of damaging genetic mutations that kill cancer cells yet inadvertently spur the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer.

8 Dec 2014

Most elderly women with early-stage breast cancer still receive radiation therapy despite less benefit

Women over the age of 70 who have certain early-stage breast cancers overwhelmingly receive radiation therapy despite published evidence that the treatment has limited benefit, researchers at Duke Medicine report.

8 Dec 2014

Baylor-led researchers identify gene linked to familial glioma

An international consortium of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine has identified for the first time a gene associated with familial glioma (brain tumors that appear in two or more members of the same family) providing new support that certain people may be genetically predisposed to the disease.

8 Dec 2014

Novel targeted therapies and treatment combinations for leukemia

Recognizing that leukemia cannot be conquered with a "one-size-fits-all" approach, researchers are pursuing novel targeted therapies and combinations of existing treatment regimens with new agents for patient populations with historically poor prognoses, according to data presented today during the 56th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

7 Dec 2014

Researchers identify new targets for future CLL therapies

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is among the most frequent leukemias affecting adults in Western countries. It usually occurs in older patients, does not cause any symptoms for a long time and is often only discovered by accident. Despite treatment, relapses frequently occur. The immunologists Dr. Kristina Heinig and Dr. Uta Höpken (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch) and the hematologist Dr. Armin Rehm (MDC and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin) have now discovered why this is so.

7 Dec 2014

ASTRO recognized with three 2014 MarCom Awards

The American Society for Radiation Oncology received three 2014 MarCom Awards. MarCom Awards were presented to ASTRO for the Summer 2014 issue of ASTROnews, the RO-ILS: Radiation Oncology Incident Learning SystemTM marketing campaign and the most recent edition of the Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer patient brochure.

7 Dec 2014

CareCore, MedSolutions complete merger agreement

CareCore National, LLC and MedSolutions, Inc., two leading providers of Specialty Benefits Management (SBM) services to managed care organizations and risk-bearing provider organizations, today announced the completion of a merger that will help advance the companies' collective commitment to containing healthcare costs and achieving quality medical outcomes.

4 Dec 2014

Study: Common prostate cancer therapy exposes low-risk patients to more adverse side effects

A common prostate cancer therapy should not be used in men whose cancer has not spread beyond the prostate, according to a new study led by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

4 Dec 2014

Prostate cancer patients with life expectancies of less than 10 years receive aggressive treatment

National guidelines recommend that men with low- and intermediate -risk prostate cancer and life expectancies of less than 10 years should not be treated with radiation or surgery, since they are unlikely to live long enough to benefit from treatment. Yet it is unknown whether such men are unnecessarily receiving these aggressive local treatments, putting them at risk for potentially debilitating side effects.

2 Dec 2014

Protein complex plays key role in detecting tumor cells, promotes anti-tumor response

A recently discovered protein complex known as STING plays a crucial role in detecting the presence of tumor cells and promoting an aggressive anti-tumor response by the body's innate immune system, according to two separate studies published in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Immunity.

21 Nov 2014

Gastric cancer patients who receive chemoradiation after surgery have better survival rates

Patients who receive chemotherapy and radiation after surgery for gastric cancer appear to have better survival rates than those who had surgery followed by only chemotherapy, according to results of a look-back study of more than 500 people by Johns Hopkins scientists.

19 Nov 2014

Study finds significant disparities in lung cancer treatment based on race, insurance status

African Americans, Hispanics, and those who receive care at a community hospital are all significantly less likely than other patients to receive treatment for early stage non-small cell lung cancer, according to a report in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

18 Nov 2014

Study: Chemotherapy following radiation therapy improves survival in adults with low-grade gliomas

A chemotherapy regimen consisting of procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine (PCV) administered following radiation therapy improved progression-free survival and overall survival in adults with low-grade gliomas, a form of brain cancer, when compared to radiation therapy alone.

17 Nov 2014

Prostate cancer patients with hereditary BRCA mutations respond less well to conventional treatment

Prostate cancer patients carrying inherited mutations in the BRCA genes respond less well to conventional treatment, including surgery and/or radiotherapy - and they also have a lower survival rate than those who are non-carriers of these genetic mutations. Data from the study, which has been published in the journal European Urology, points to the need for new clinical trials aimed at targeting these mutations in order to tailor treatment for these patients.

17 Nov 2014

New technology improves lung cancer detection during radiation therapy

Researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have developed a technology that improves the detection of tumors during radiation therapy for early-stage lung cancer.

14 Nov 2014

New anti-cancer drug may protect normal cells against radiation

Although radiation treatments have become much more refined in recent years, it remains a challenge to both sufficiently dose the tumor while sparing the surrounding tissue.

14 Nov 2014

Pretreatment ILD is a risk factor for developing radiation pneumonitis in stage I NSCLC patients

Pretreatment interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant risk factor for developing symptomatic and severe radiation pneumonitis in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) alone.

12 Nov 2014

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Using Refractory Metals in Cancer Treatments

Use of HF-WBI for patients with early-stage breast cancer increases 17.4%, study finds

Revolutionary new approach uses advanced technology to remove head and neck cancer tumors

Findings open new avenues for research to predict risk of therapy-related AML

Most elderly women with early-stage breast cancer still receive radiation therapy despite less benefit

Baylor-led researchers identify gene linked to familial glioma

Novel targeted therapies and treatment combinations for leukemia

Researchers identify new targets for future CLL therapies

ASTRO recognized with three 2014 MarCom Awards

CareCore, MedSolutions complete merger agreement

Study: Common prostate cancer therapy exposes low-risk patients to more adverse side effects

Prostate cancer patients with life expectancies of less than 10 years receive aggressive treatment

Protein complex plays key role in detecting tumor cells, promotes anti-tumor response

Gastric cancer patients who receive chemoradiation after surgery have better survival rates

Study finds significant disparities in lung cancer treatment based on race, insurance status

Study: Chemotherapy following radiation therapy improves survival in adults with low-grade gliomas

Prostate cancer patients with hereditary BRCA mutations respond less well to conventional treatment

New technology improves lung cancer detection during radiation therapy

New anti-cancer drug may protect normal cells against radiation

Pretreatment ILD is a risk factor for developing radiation pneumonitis in stage I NSCLC patients

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

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