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.

Novel immune-profiling method offers a powerful alternative to conventional flow cytometry

Flow cytometry is a powerful and complex technology used to count, sort or measure characteristics of cells and to detect biomarkers.

9 Feb 2022

Novel diagnostic platform offers hope for early detection of cancer in patients with Barrett’s esophagus

On a mission to increase early detection of esophageal cancer, University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center member Sachin Wani, MD, is leading a study to see if a novel diagnostic platform can help endoscopists better identify the disease in patients with a condition called Barrett's esophagus.

8 Feb 2022

Combined strategy suppresses the growth of deadly brain tumor

Short bursts of radiation therapy dramatically enhanced the efficiency of targeting glioblastomas with natural nanoparticle-based immunotherapy, thus suppressing growth of the deadly tumor, inducing anti-tumor immunity and prolonging survival in animal models, a research team at Massachusetts General Hospital has discovered.

31 Jan 2022

Photobiomodulation may accelerate the healing of skin damage from radiation therapy

Light therapy may accelerate the healing of skin damage from radiation therapy by up to 50%, according to a recent University at Buffalo-led study.

27 Jan 2022

Trastuzumab combined with trimodality treatment for HER2-overexpressing esophageal cancer found to be ineffective

The NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-RTOG 1010, studying the addition of the drug trastuzumab to chemoradiation and surgery, did not reach its primary goal of improving disease-free survival (DFS) rates for patients with HER2 overexpressing esophageal adenocarcinoma.

22 Jan 2022

Study findings could help guide treatment planning for men with high-risk prostate cancer

Results of a large study led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers could help guide treatment planning for patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

20 Jan 2022

Addition of hormone therapy to radiotherapy treatments improves survival in prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in men worldwide, and radiotherapy is one of the common forms of treatment.

18 Jan 2022

ASTRO provides new guidance on the use of external beam radiation therapy for primary liver cancers

A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) provides guidance on the use of radiation therapy to treat adult patients with primary liver cancers using external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

12 Jan 2022

Transplant recipients benefit from a COVID-19 vaccine booster

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server describes the reduction in humoral immunity in SOTR following vaccination, as well as the improvement with an additional dose of the vaccine.

4 Jan 2022

Black men with prostate cancer may have improved response to radiation therapy than white men

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers leading a meta-analysis of seven randomized trials found an "unexpected result": Although Black men appeared to have more aggressive disease when they enrolled in clinical trials of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, their treatment outcomes and disease-specific outcomes were better than those of their white counterparts.

30 Dec 2021

Inhaled CBD shrinks glioblastoma’s size in an animal model

Inhaled CBD shrinks the size of the highly aggressive, lethal brain tumor glioblastoma in an animal model by reducing the essential support of its microenvironment, researchers report.

24 Dec 2021

Study provides a more effective treatment approach to preventing graft-versus-host-disease

A new study led by UC Davis Health researchers showed that blocking IL-6 and TNF cytokines provides a more effective approach to preventing life-threatening graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), an inflammatory condition that develops in patients after their allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

16 Dec 2021

Cedars-Sinai researchers discover growth hormone in the colon that influences aging process

Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have identified growth hormone in the colon that increases as the colon ages—a discovery that can help guide the development of a new anti-aging therapy.

16 Dec 2021

NRG Oncology CC004 trial: Bupropion does not improve sexual desire for female cancer survivors

Despite preliminary supporting evidence that the dopaminergic agent bupropion might improve sexual desire for female cancer survivors, the NRG Oncology CC004 clinical trial determined that bupropion did not improve outcomes when compared to a placebo.

10 Dec 2021

Modulating the composition of bacterial populations in the colon could enhance anti-tumor immunity

A bacterium common in the mouse gut microbiome can charge up the immune system to fight cancer cells in the colon, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report today in the journal Immunity.

3 Dec 2021

Most U.S. states failed to prioritize cancer patients for COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Almost two-thirds of U.S. states failed to prioritize cancer patients for COVID-19 vaccinations, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

2 Dec 2021

Study shows vaccinated multiple myeloma patients at greater risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections

Researchers recently published a study assessing the risks of patients with MM to breakthrough infections after completing their vaccination schedule compared to those without any form of cancer.

25 Nov 2021

Proton therapy used for the first time in Switzerland to treat lung cancer

Today a 60-year-old patient suffering from lung cancer received proton beam therapy, a medical procedure where positively charged particles are precisely targeted at the tumor. This is the first time this type of radiotherapy has been used for lung cancer treatment in Switzerland.

9 Nov 2021

Radiation therapy puts childhood cancer survivors at higher risk of cardiometabolic disease

Decades after battling childhood cancer, survivors often face a new challenge: cardiometabolic disease. A spectrum of conditions that includes coronary heart disease and diabetes, cardiometabolic disease typically impacts people who are obese, elderly, or insulin resistant.