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.

Simple interventions reduced radiation exposure to the heart during lung cancer treatment

Radiation to the heart during treatment for locally advanced lung cancer is associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events within the first two years following treatment. The higher the cardiac dose exposure, the higher the risk of a cardiac event.

8 Apr 2022

Study highlights racial disparities among gastrointestinal cancer patients undergoing surgery

African-American adult patients are more likely than white patients to receive substandard gastrointestinal cancer surgery, according a large study led by researchers at Yale Cancer Center. The findings are reported today in the journal JAMA Network Open.

4 Apr 2022

Soy molasses and kudzu roots may help fight against pediatric tumors

Soy molasses and kudzu roots contain isoflavonoids with high antioxidant and cytotoxic activity, scientists have discovered.

30 Mar 2022

Smart bra can aid in early detection of breast cancer

A smart bra device developed in Nigeria can detect breast cancer early, potentially saving African women long journeys to access screening services, its inventor says.

23 Mar 2022

Trial shows safety and immunogenicity of immunotherapy with chemoradiation in cervical cancer patients

A Phase I/Ib trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) group NRG Oncology, NRG-GY017, concluded that the addition of the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab prior to and concurrently given with chemoradiation (CRT) treatment was safe for women with node-positive, locally advanced cervical cancer.

19 Mar 2022

HRR mutational status associated with survival outcomes in recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer

Results of a biomarker analysis of the NRG Oncology NRG-GY004 trial were presented at a Seminal Session during the Society for Gynecologic Oncology's (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer in March 2022.

19 Mar 2022

New findings could change treatment practice and lengthen survival for men with pN1 prostate cancer

Men with microscopic evidence of prostate cancer spreading to their pelvic lymph nodes (LNs) following the surgical resection of the prostate and pelvic lymph nodes (LN) are at a very high risk of dying from prostate cancer. Pelvic LN radiation therapy (RT) is a potentially curative treatment.

15 Mar 2022

Irradiation of tumors with laser protons tested for the first time

Irradiation with fast protons is a more effective and less invasive cancer treatment than X-rays. However, modern proton therapy requires large particle accelerators, which has experts investigating alternative accelerator concepts, such as laser systems to accelerate protons.

14 Mar 2022

Using metal oxide nanoparticles as 'radiosensitizers' for gentler cancer treatment

Radiation therapy is one of the cornerstones of cancer therapy. However, some types of tumor respond little or hardly at all to radiation. If it were possible to make tumor cells more sensitive, treatment would be more effective and gentler.

10 Mar 2022

Novel nanoparticles enable synergy of radiation and photodynamic therapies of deep tumor tissues

Researchers Dr Yansong Feng and Prof. Hong Zhang at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have designed and synthesized novel multi-layered, multi-functional nanoparticles that enable a combination of radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy for deep cancer tissue.

10 Mar 2022

Choice of initial treatment not related to depression, emotional well-being in prostate cancer patients

Depression and other mental health outcomes are similar for men choosing different options for initial treatment of localized prostate cancer, reports a study in The Journal of Urology, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association.

3 Mar 2022

Study finds the optimal duration of treatments for patients with high-risk prostate cancer

Patients receiving radiotherapy to treat high-risk prostate cancer also benefit from androgen deprivation therapy.

25 Feb 2022

Treatment with Tumor Treating Fields triggers downstream anti-tumor cell response, study finds

Novocure announced that a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) finds treatment with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) mediated cell disruption activates the immune system and triggers an anti-tumor cell response that may be effectively used together with existing immunotherapy approaches in the treatment of solid tumors, with limited systemic toxicity.

25 Feb 2022

Traditional Chinese medicine can be an effective radiosensitizer for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a group of cancers that originate in the nose and throat, is made complicated by their unique position. Radiation therapy is often the main curative treatment for NPC. However, some patients are resistant to radiation therapy.

25 Feb 2022

DNA biomarker test helps predict recurrence of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer after treatment

A large, multi-institutional study demonstrates that a blood test to detect circulating tumor DNA can accurately predict recurrence of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer following treatment.

25 Feb 2022

AI model could be a low-cost, non-invasive option for thyroid cancer screening and staging

A new study finds that an artificial intelligence (AI) model incorporating multiple methods of machine learning accurately detects thyroid cancer and predicts pathological and genomic outcomes through analysis of routine ultrasound images.

24 Feb 2022

Exercise program offers psychological benefits during active surveillance for prostate cancer

In men undergoing active surveillance as an alternative to immediate treatment for prostate cancer, a supervised exercise program can reduce anxiety and fear of cancer progression, reports a study in The Journal of Urology, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association.

18 Feb 2022

UVMCC researchers address new paradigms in rectal cancer multidisciplinary care

In recent years total neoadjuvant treatment (TNT)-; a potent new treatment approach for advanced colorectal cancer that confronts tumors with aggressive rounds of chemotherapy and chemoradiation followed by surgery to remove the cancerous tissue-; has emerged as the standard of care.

16 Feb 2022

Lung cancer patients with coronary artery calcium burden have greater risk of cardiovascular events

Lung cancer patients with higher amounts of coronary artery calcium have an increased risk of an adverse cardiovascular event as a result of thoracic radiation therapy compared to patients with no coronary artery calcium.

11 Feb 2022

New research confirms the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people with cancer

New research in the February 2022 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network confirms that mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 are just as safe for people with cancer as they are for cancer-free individuals.

10 Feb 2022

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Simple interventions reduced radiation exposure to the heart during lung cancer treatment

Study highlights racial disparities among gastrointestinal cancer patients undergoing surgery

Soy molasses and kudzu roots may help fight against pediatric tumors

Smart bra can aid in early detection of breast cancer

Trial shows safety and immunogenicity of immunotherapy with chemoradiation in cervical cancer patients

HRR mutational status associated with survival outcomes in recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer

New findings could change treatment practice and lengthen survival for men with pN1 prostate cancer

Irradiation of tumors with laser protons tested for the first time

Using metal oxide nanoparticles as 'radiosensitizers' for gentler cancer treatment

Novel nanoparticles enable synergy of radiation and photodynamic therapies of deep tumor tissues

Choice of initial treatment not related to depression, emotional well-being in prostate cancer patients

Study finds the optimal duration of treatments for patients with high-risk prostate cancer

Treatment with Tumor Treating Fields triggers downstream anti-tumor cell response, study finds

Traditional Chinese medicine can be an effective radiosensitizer for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

DNA biomarker test helps predict recurrence of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer after treatment

AI model could be a low-cost, non-invasive option for thyroid cancer screening and staging

Exercise program offers psychological benefits during active surveillance for prostate cancer

UVMCC researchers address new paradigms in rectal cancer multidisciplinary care

Lung cancer patients with coronary artery calcium burden have greater risk of cardiovascular events

New research confirms the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people with cancer

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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