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 Nanoparticles to Target Cancer

An interview with John Stroh, discussing the development of nanoparticles that can target and treat cancer, without damaging nearby tissues.

6 Dec 2012

Obesity ramps up thoracic surgery costs

Obese patients have significantly increased operating times when undergoing lobectomy for primary lung cancer, show US study results.

5 Dec 2012

Combination of ketogenic diet and radiation therapy effectively treats malignant gliomas

A team of brain cancer researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has effectively treated brain tumor cells using a unique combination of diet and radiation therapy.

5 Dec 2012

Rural cancer survivors more likely to have poor health outcomes

Cancer survivors who live in rural areas are more likely to say they are in poor health than those who live in urban areas, according to a study in the journal Cancer. They are also more likely to have other health disorders, more psychological distress, and be unemployed due to health reasons than city dwellers.

30 Nov 2012

DARA BioSciences submits KRN5500 Orphan Drug Application with FDA

DARA BioSciences, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology and oncology supportive care products, announced today it has submitted an Orphan Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for KRN5500, a compound in development to treat a painful form of chronic chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CCIPN).

30 Nov 2012

CEL-SCI's Multikine cancer drug receives key Japanese patent

CEL-SCI Corporation today announced that the Japanese patent office has issued a key patent covering CEL-SCI's investigational cancer drug, Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection).

29 Nov 2012

Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy does not reduce breast cancer recurrence

About 70 percent of women who have both breasts removed following a breast cancer diagnosis do so despite a very low risk of facing cancer in the healthy breast, new research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds.

28 Nov 2012

BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System purchased by Cancer Treatment Centers of America

BSD Medical Corporation, a leading provider of medical systems that utilize targeted heat therapy to treat cancer, announced today that the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Western Regional Medical Center (WRMC), located in Goodyear, Arizona, has purchased a BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System (BSD-2000).

26 Nov 2012

iCAD introduces VersaVue Enterprise 3.2.1 MR software

iCAD, Inc., an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapy for the identification and treatment of cancer, announced today it will launch VersaVue Enterprise 3.2.1, the latest release of the company's MR software solution that provides improvements in workflow efficiency and flexibility, at the annual conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) taking place in Chicago, November 25-30.

26 Nov 2012

Illuminate PatientView to be introduced at Radiological Society of North America meeting

Illuminate PatientView, the newest application of Softek Illuminate's search engine and data aggregation technology, will be introduced at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting Nov. 25-30 at Chicago's McCormick Place and demonstrated by Softek associates in booth 9141.

20 Nov 2012

Dune Medical Devices gets FDA PMA Approvable Letter for MarginProbe System

Dune Medical Devices, Inc., announced today that it has received an Approvable Letter for its Premarket Approval Application (PMA) from the Food and Drug Administration. The Approvable Letter states that the MarginProbe System PMA is approvable subject to final agreement with FDA on the design of the required Post Approval Study.

20 Nov 2012

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals completes trans sodium crocetinate Phase I trial on glioblastoma

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC, a biotechnology company developing innovative cancer treatments, today announced that it has successfully completed a Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound trans sodium crocetinate (TSC) in nine patients with newly diagnosed primary brain cancer (glioblastoma or GBM).

19 Nov 2012

Gene therapy shows promise against dry mouth in cancer patients

Injecting an adenoviral vector encoding human aquaporin-1 into the parotid glands of head and neck cancer survivors improves their symptoms of dry mouth induced by radiation therapy, show study results.

15 Nov 2012

Radiotherapy protocol deviations: an interview with Dr Nitin Ohri

Radiotherapy is a key component of cancer therapy. A majority of cancer patients get radiotherapy in some form at some point in their disease course. It can be used in a curative setting or in a palliative setting.

12 Nov 2012

Mastoscopic axillary lymph node dissection can reduce breast cancer complications

Axillary lymph node dissection is done in conjunction with lumpectomy or mastectomy to determine if breast cancer has spread to the adjoining lymph nodes. The conventional surgical approach leaves a surgical scar that is unattractive and can restrict range of motion in the shoulder joint. Also, squeezing and pulling the tumor during the breast operation can stimulate tumor cell metastases.

9 Nov 2012

Mayo Clinic receives FDA approval for Choline C 11 Injection to help detect prostate cancer

Mayo Clinic has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to produce and administer Choline C 11 Injection, an imaging agent used during a positron emission tomography (PET) scan to help detect sites of recurrent prostate cancer. Mayo Clinic is the first, and currently only, institution in North America approved to produce this imaging agent.

9 Nov 2012

International Day of Radiology marks 117th anniversary of X-ray discovery

International Day of Radiology — November 8, 2012 — marks the 117th anniversary of the discovery of the X-ray and the tremendous advances in patient care made possible by radiation therapy and medical imaging exams, such as MRI and CT scans. It is also a reminder that Congress needs to pass the Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act (H.R. 3269/ S. 2347) and halt drastic cuts in Medicare funding for imaging scans. This vital legislation would preserve ready access to lifesaving imaging care and may help reduce harm to seniors already resulting from cutbacks.

8 Nov 2012

FDA clears Accuray’s new CyberKnife M6 Series

Accuray Incorporated, the premier radiation oncology company, today announced that the company received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its new CyberKnife M6 Series.

2 Nov 2012

Study shows increased risk of local recurrence in women with triple negative breast cancer

Research from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows that women with triple-negative breast cancer and no more than three positive lymph nodes following a mastectomy have a higher risk of local recurrence than similar women whose disease is not classified as triple-negative.

1 Nov 2012

Varian highlights numerous lung cancer treatment systems at ASTRO meeting

Varian Medical Systems highlighted the company's technologies for the non-invasive treatment of lung cancer at the 54th annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Boston this week.

1 Nov 2012