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.

Women over the age of 60 with low-risk breast cancer may not need to receive radiation therapy after surgery

The current treatment standard recommended for most women with early stage breast cancer is breast conservation therapy, consisting of lumpectomy following by radiotherapy. The purpose of the radiotherapy is to kill any tumor cells in the remaining breast area that may have been missed by the surgery.

13 Dec 2004

Short course of radiation therapy following lumpectomy

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have presented preliminary results of a clinical trial in which women received a two-week shorter course of radiation therapy than the current standard following a lumpectomy.

13 Dec 2004

Researchers step closer to cure for common childhood cancer

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant disease caused by the abnormal growth and development of white blood cells (WBC) in the bone marrow and blood. ALL is the most common cancer occurring in children with an annual rate of approximately 30 to 40 new cases per million.

5 Dec 2004

Single dose phase I data on CG53135 for the prevention of oral mucositis

CuraGen Corporation has announced results presented from a Phase I clinical trial with CG53135 for the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in patients receiving high dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) at the ASH 46th Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

5 Dec 2004

Botox may reduce the incidence of keloids, improving the appearance of scars

Can a modern-day drug cure an age-old healing disorder that causes more harm than the actual injury?

4 Dec 2004

New devices for people who suffer dry mouth or lack of saliva

For dry mouth sufferers Saliwell’s innovative patented devices brings welcome relief by restoring natural saliva production through electro-stimulation.

2 Dec 2004

Combining radiation therapy with surgery and chemotherapy helps patients with rare forms of thyroid cancer live longer

Combining radiation therapy with surgery and chemotherapy helps patients with rare forms of thyroid cancer live longer, according to a study published in the November 15, 2004, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology~Biology~Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

16 Nov 2004

UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Center treats patients with TomoTherapy

UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Center this week began treating patients with a TomoTherapy system utilizing image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Moncrief is the first cancer center in Texas to offer radiation treatment delivered by the TomoTherapy Hi-Art System.

10 Nov 2004

MRI technique for measuring blood volume helps distinguish between abscesses and tumors in the brain

Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI allows physicians to differentiate between cerebral abscesses—inflamed areas in the brain caused by infection—and malignant brain tumors without surgery, says a new preliminary study by researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

8 Nov 2004

The Bush Medicare Prescription has changed the identity of medical oncology

Under previous law, Medicare covered chemotherapy as well as radiation treatment for cancer patients, but did not pay for oral-dose anti-cancer drugs, unless they were available in both oral and injectable form.

4 Nov 2004

Alimta approved as first treatment for Mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos

Lilly UK announced today that Alimta( (pemetrexed) will be available shortly for the treatment of people diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs for which there is no known cure. Pemetrexed is the first licenced treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, in combination with cisplatin.

1 Nov 2004

Higher radiation doses helps patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer live longer

Treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer more aggressively by giving them higher doses of radiation helps keep the disease from spreading and allows some patients to live longer

28 Oct 2004

New help to explain treatments for colorectal cancer

To help patients and their families better understand how different treatments work to cure colorectal cancer, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has published the new patient information brochure Radiation Therapy for Colorectal Cancer: Facts to Help People Understand Their Treatment Options.

25 Oct 2004

Study suggests that some survivors have a genetic tendency to developing breast cancer as young women

Young women who were treated for cancer as children have a greater chance of developing breast cancer if their treatment included chest radiation, if they initially had cancer of the bones, muscles, or connective tissue, or had a family history of breast cancer

19 Oct 2004

Software translates improved diagnostic information to better target radiation at cancer cells

As diagnostic imaging and radiation treatment technologies both become more capable and precise, physicians using them face an increasingly difficult task: how to transfer information from the diagnostic systems to the treatment planning systems.

18 Oct 2004

Black men have better sexual and urinary function than white men after prostate cancer surgery

Five years after surgery for prostate cancer, African-American men reported better sexual and urinary function than non-Latino white men-yet they were also more dissatisfied with problems related to their sexual function

13 Oct 2004

Researchers bridge the gap between magnetic resonance spectroscopy and latest techniques for delivering precise doses of radiation to tumors

12 Oct 2004

Radiation Therapy News and Research

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