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.

Uterine cancer recurrence risk after hysterectomy increases due to delay in radiation therapy

Waiting too long after a hysterectomy to begin radiation therapy may increase the risk of uterine cancer recurrence, according to a new study from researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

31 Oct 2012

Radiation therapy protocol deviations associated with increased risk of treatment failure and overall mortality

Radiation therapy protocol deviations in clinical trials are associated with increased risk of treatment failure and overall mortality, according to a study entitled, “Radiotherapy Protocol Deviations are Associated with Inferior Clinical Outcomes: A Meta-analysis of Cooperative Group Clinical Trials” to be presented today at the 54th annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Boston, MA.

30 Oct 2012

Elderly women with early-stage breast cancer live longer with radiation therapy and surgery

Elderly women with early-stage breast cancer live longer with radiation therapy and surgery compared with surgery alone, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found.

30 Oct 2012

Doxepin oral rinse relieves mouth pain from head and neck cancer treatment

30 Oct 2012

Antidepressant doxepin eases pain associated with oral mucositis

An oral rinse of the antidepressant doxepin significantly eased pain associated with oral mucositis in patients receiving radiation therapy for cancers of the head and neck, a study led by Mayo Clinic found. The findings were presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting in Boston.

29 Oct 2012

Tumor count in the breast an important consideration for providing radiation therapy

Not all women diagnosed with operable breast cancer present with a single tumor; some have multifocal disease appear in the breast, which means multiple tumors found in the same breast quadrant, while others have multicentric disease, where multiple tumors are found in separate breast quadrants. Multifocal or multicentric disease is not a standard indication to receive radiation after mastectomy. For patients who undergo lumpectomy, radiation dose and extent is not altered based on multifocal or multicentric disease compared to patients presenting with a single tumor.

29 Oct 2012

Post-radiation drop in testosterone linked to recurrence of prostate cancer in men

Men whose testosterone drops following radiation therapy for prostate cancer are more likely to experience a change in PSA levels that signals their cancer has returned, according to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center.

29 Oct 2012

Online resource for men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer launched

Johns Hopkins Medicine, along with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, have launched the National Proactive Surveillance Network, an online resource for men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer that can be slow-growing and non-life-threatening in up to 50 percent of diagnosed cases.

25 Oct 2012

CINJ makes experts available during National Lung Cancer Awareness Month

According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 6,000 new cases of lung cancer are expected to be diagnosed in New Jersey this year, and 4,200 people will die from the disease.

25 Oct 2012

Focused ultrasound technology safe, effective in treating patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson's

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation today announced a new clinical trial investigating the use of focused ultrasound technology in treating patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease.

25 Oct 2012

Full-body exercise and CDT best ways to minimize lymphedema

Nearly 40 percent of breast cancer survivors suffer from lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes body limbs to swell from fluid buildup, as a result of lymph node removal and radiation therapy.

23 Oct 2012

Immediate postoperative radiation improves prostate cancer progression survival

Radiation immediately after prostate cancer surgery substantially improves biochemical progression-free survival and local control over 10 years compared with a wait-and-see policy, European study findings indicate.

22 Oct 2012

Liquid version of breast cancer drug Tamoxifen launched in the US

Breast Cancer Awareness Month raises visibility and research dollars to address a disease that in the United States claims nearly 40,000 lives annually and affects approximately 240,000 people who each year are newly diagnosed. While the month's activities are important in the fight against breast cancer, they are not designed to directly improve the day-to-day management of the disease.

22 Oct 2012

Pain relief from palliative RT for bone metastases improves QoL

Cancer patients who experience pain relief after palliative radiation therapy for bone metastases report a better quality of life on specific bone metastases measures than their peers who do not respond to treatment, show study results.

18 Oct 2012

Stat5 protein could serve as biomarker to help guide prostate cancer treatment

Men who had high levels of the activated Stat5 protein in their prostate cancer after a radical prostatectomy were more likely to have a recurrence or die from the disease compared to men who had little to no presence of the growth protein, according to a recent study published in Human Pathology by Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center researchers.

17 Oct 2012

New radiation therapy can reduce risk of neurocognitive adverse effects in children

Children who undergo brain radiation therapy run a significant risk of suffering from permanent neurocognitive adverse effects. These adverse effects are due to the fact that the radiation often encounters healthy tissue. This reduces the formation of new cells, particularly in the hippocampus - the part of the brain involved in memory and learning.

16 Oct 2012

New radiation treatment techniques can reduce risk of neurocognitive adverse effects in children

15 Oct 2012

Few physicians recommend active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer

Few physicians recommend active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer rather than pursuing surgery or radiation, according to a Mayo Clinic study being presented at the North Central Section of the American Urological Association's annual meeting Oct. 10-13 in Chicago.

15 Oct 2012

Elekta Synergy system with Agility 160-leaf MLC now available at Radboud

The first of three newly acquired Elekta Synergy treatment systems equipped with Agility 160-leaf multi-leaf collimator (MLC) is now up and running clinically at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center - making the clinic the first in the Netherlands to use Agility.

From Elekta 15 Oct 2012

Celgene receives FDA approval for ABRAXANE to treat non-small cell lung cancer

Celgene Corporation today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ABRAXANE (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) for the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, in combination with carboplatin, in patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation therapy.

15 Oct 2012

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Uterine cancer recurrence risk after hysterectomy increases due to delay in radiation therapy

Radiation therapy protocol deviations associated with increased risk of treatment failure and overall mortality

Elderly women with early-stage breast cancer live longer with radiation therapy and surgery

Doxepin oral rinse relieves mouth pain from head and neck cancer treatment

Antidepressant doxepin eases pain associated with oral mucositis

Tumor count in the breast an important consideration for providing radiation therapy

Post-radiation drop in testosterone linked to recurrence of prostate cancer in men

Online resource for men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer launched

CINJ makes experts available during National Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Focused ultrasound technology safe, effective in treating patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson's

Full-body exercise and CDT best ways to minimize lymphedema

Immediate postoperative radiation improves prostate cancer progression survival

Liquid version of breast cancer drug Tamoxifen launched in the US

Pain relief from palliative RT for bone metastases improves QoL

Stat5 protein could serve as biomarker to help guide prostate cancer treatment

New radiation therapy can reduce risk of neurocognitive adverse effects in children

New radiation treatment techniques can reduce risk of neurocognitive adverse effects in children

Few physicians recommend active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer

Elekta Synergy system with Agility 160-leaf MLC now available at Radboud

Celgene receives FDA approval for ABRAXANE to treat non-small cell lung cancer

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

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