Radiotherapy News and Research

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Radiation therapy (in North America), or radiotherapy (in the UK and Australia) also called radiation oncology, and sometimes abbreviated to XRT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis).

Concord Medical Services 2010 second quarter revenue increases 38.3%

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, the operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

18 Aug 2010

Varian to showcase new Gated RapidArc technology at 2010 CHINA-HOSPEQ exhibition

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. will showcase the company's new Gated RapidArc technology on its Trilogy® machine with advanced motion management capabilities at the 2010 CHINA-HOSPEQ exhibition being held in Beijing August 19-21 by China's Ministry of Health. Varian, the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer and a premier supplier of X-ray imaging technology, will also exhibit its software for planning and for managing radiation therapy treatments.

18 Aug 2010

Pathology experts meet to at SESPM to update new advances in breast surgery

Over 1.500 breast pathology experts will meet between the 20th and 22nd of October in the 16th World Congress of the Senologic International Society (SIS). This meeting and the 29th Congress of the Spanish Society of Senology and Breast Diseases (SESPM) will take place in the Valencia, coinciding with the International Breast Cancer Day.

16 Aug 2010

Scientists identify genes associated with aggressive breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have for the first time identified 12 genes that could be associated with aggressive breast tumours. The discovery could result in more reliable prognoses and better treatment strategies for patients.

16 Aug 2010

Fertility preservation may be unsafe for leukemia patients: Study

Although the use of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation has lead to 13 live births in women with lymphoma or solid tumors, this method of fertility preservation may be unsafe for patients with leukemia, according to a recent study published online in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

16 Aug 2010

Humanetics Corporation secures license to provide treatment for ionizing radiation exposure

In a move likely to secure its place as a leading provider of medical radiation countermeasures, Humanetics Corporation today announced that it has secured exclusive worldwide licenses to two new treatments that provide short and long-term post-exposure protection from ionizing radiation acquired during a terrorist act, nuclear or radiological attack or accident, as part of cancer radiotherapy or even during routine diagnostic CT scans.

13 Aug 2010

Augmenix announces commercial implantation of SpaceOAR absorbable spacer system for radiation treatment

Augmenix, Inc. announced today that Prof. Michael Eble and Dr. Michael Pinkawa of the Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany, performed a commercial implantation of the company's CE Mark approved SpaceOAR System. The SpaceOAR hydrogel (from spacing Organs At Risk) is designed to be a tissue compatible, absorbable spacer to reduce radiation injury to healthy tissues.

12 Aug 2010

Research on role of ADAM12 gene in breast cancer

A microscopic gene may play a gigantic role when it comes to cancerous tissue in the human body, according to one Kansas State University research team.The team is investigating mutation within the ADAM12 gene of the A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease family, or ADAM family, and its role in breast cancer."We want to know whether ADAM12 is a good guy or a bad guy in breast cancer," said Anna Zolkiewska, associate professor of biochemistry and research team leader.

10 Aug 2010

Varian Medical Systems board authorizes additional 8 million common stock repurchase program

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase an additional 8 million shares of its common stock during a period commencing immediately and extending through September 30, 2011. Stock repurchases will be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, or in Rule 10b5-1 share repurchase plans, and may be made from time to time or in one or more larger blocks.

9 Aug 2010

ESMO Congress provides forum for presentation of new research on treatment of cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, accounting for more than one in ten deaths. By 2030, the global burden is expected to exceed 12 million.

9 Aug 2010

TrueBeam technology reduces cancer radiation treatment time

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center is among the world's first to begin using radiation technology that dramatically reduces treatment times.UAB's Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center is the third U.S. site to acquire TrueBeam technology. TrueBeam, by Varian Medical Systems Inc., can complete a standard 40-minute radiation therapy in less than a minute for select patients. The precision of the instrument, measured in increments of less than a millimeter, comes from real-time patient imaging, positioning, beam shaping and many other data points synchronized continually as treatment progresses.

7 Aug 2010

Surgery offers high survival rate for prostate cancer patients: Study

Surgery for localized prostate cancer offers a significantly higher survival rate than either external-beam radiation or hormonal therapies, according to a new study led by researchers at UCSF.The differences among therapies were more prominent at higher levels of cancer risk, and suggest, the researchers say, that in many cases surgery should play a greater role in treatment strategies for patients with prostate cancer that is likely to recur or spread.

7 Aug 2010

Scientists discover gene linked to eight-fold risk of breast cancer recurrence

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that a gene called POLQ is linked to an eight-fold risk of breast cancer returning. Developing drugs to block POLQ could increase survival and stop the cancer coming back, according to research published in OncoTarget.

5 Aug 2010

HF-WBI effective for patients with early stage breast cancer

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released evidence-based guidelines to define appropriate fractionation of whole breast irradiation (WBI), finding that hypofractionated (HF) WBI is effective for many patients with early-stage breast cancer. These guidelines are published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

5 Aug 2010

Siteman Cancer Center to test radiotherapy system from ViewRay

Researchers at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, a national leader in the early adoption and use of advanced treatments for cancer patients, will soon become the first in the world to test an innovative radiotherapy system from ViewRay, Inc. The ViewRay system is designed to improve the accuracy of cancer treatments through a combination of medical imaging and radiotherapy delivery.

4 Aug 2010

Phase I/II clinical study data of OncoVEXGM-CSF for head and neck cancer published in Clinical Cancer Research

BioVex Inc, a company developing new generation biologics for the treatment of cancer and prevention of infectious disease, announces that the data from its completed Phase I/II clinical study of OncoVEXGM-CSF for the first line treatment of head and neck cancer is being published today in Clinical Cancer Research, an ASCO publication.

2 Aug 2010

Research on impact of BCL2 markers on breast cancer tumours

A new predictive marker which could help doctors to decide whether breast cancer patients would benefit from chemotherapy has been identified by a team of scientists.The study, part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday), shows for the first time how this molecular marker has been singled out as an independent factor in examining a breast cancer patient's tumour.

28 Jul 2010

GCSF administration can reduce side effects of cancer neurobastoma in children

Children given a hormone growth factor alongside chemotherapy for the aggressive cancer neuroblastoma are less likely to suffer a potentially deadly side-effect, according to a major international study published today (Tuesday) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

21 Jul 2010

Access selects BioScrip as exclusive distribution and service partner for MuGard

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., a biopharmaceutical company specializing in products for cancer and supportive care, announced today it has signed an exclusive specialty distribution agreement with BioScrip for its lead product, MuGard -- an FDA-approved, ready-to-use mucoadhesive oral wound rinse for the management of oral mucositis, a debilitating side effect of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

20 Jul 2010

ASTRO accepts 4 abstracts on Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for NSCLC

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has accepted four abstracts from users of Elekta Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) technology on the use of SBRT to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The clinicians will present their findings during presentations at ASTRO's 52nd Annual Meeting (October 31 - November 4) at the San Diego Convention Center.

From Elekta 20 Jul 2010