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).

Combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy effective against Hodgkin's lymphoma, in the short term

Modern treatment for early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma is highly effective, leaving most patients with no evidence of cancer. However, experts differ on the best approach: Is chemotherapy enough or does adding radiation therapy improve the outcome?

16 Feb 2011

IMRIS fourth quarter sales increase 26% to $25.2 million

IMRIS Inc. today reported its results for the fourth quarter 2010 highlighted by record financial performance that included strong revenue growth and the Company's second consecutive quarter of positive EBITDA1 and earnings. All figures are reported in Canadian dollars.

14 Feb 2011

Two Uofl professors provide reference works in oncology field

Two University of Louisville School of Medicine professors recently authored reference works in the field of oncology, one focusing on the use of radiation treatment for childhood cancers and the other on hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer.

14 Feb 2011

Genes for prostate cancer mapped for the first time

A genetic blue print that uncovers many of the mutations and genetic damage that drives prostate cancer and could lead to new treatments and better diagnosis has been found. This would mean earlier detection and new breeds of drugs to reverse the damage. Also each patient could have his own “cancer chart” made so that his treatment is personalized. The study, conducted by researchers from the Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College, appears in the Feb. 10 issue of Nature.

13 Feb 2011

Philanthropist awards Mayo Clinic $100 million to establish Proton Beam Therapy Program

Mayo Clinic today announced long-time patient and philanthropist Richard O. Jacobson has given a $100 million gift to help establish the multi-site Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Program. This is the largest outright gift in the clinic's history, as well as the largest gift Mr. Jacobson has made to any single institution.

3 Feb 2011

New robotic technique can better predict tumors during radiotherapy, prevent severity of side effects

Medical physicists at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center have demonstrated a new real-time tumor tracking technique that can help minimize the amount of radiation delivered to surrounding healthy tissue in a patient—up to 50 percent less in some cases—and maximize the dose the tumor receives.

2 Feb 2011

Oncology experts to discuss latest developments in head and neck cancers

The European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), the European Head and Neck Society (EHNS), and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in collaboration with other European partners, have the pleasure of inviting you to report on the 3rd International Conference on innovative approaches In Head and Neck Oncology that will be held in Barcelona (Spain) on the 24th -26th February 2011.

1 Feb 2011

EVP of Advaxis' Science & Operations moderates Live Cancer Vaccines panel discussion

Dr. John Rothman, EVP of Science & Operations of Advaxis, Inc., the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, moderated a panel discussion titled, "Live Cancer Vaccines."

29 Jan 2011

North Shore-LIJ seeks patients with early-stage prostate cancer to participate in Phase I study

The North Shore-LIJ Health System Department of Radiation Medicine announced today it is seeking patients with early-stage prostate cancer to participate in a Phase I Research study.

29 Jan 2011

Survey finds public lack knowledge of radiotherapy

Fewer than one in ten people think radiotherapy is a modern cancer treatment according to the results of a survey published Friday.

28 Jan 2011

Targeting UROD enzyme boosts effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in head, neck tumors

Cancer researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have discovered that targeting an enzyme called Uroporphyrinogen Decarboxylase (UROD) can sensitize diseased tissue to radiation and chemotherapy, which could mean fewer side effects for individuals with head and neck cancer.

27 Jan 2011

ASTRO reaffirms commitment to quality, issues progress report on patient safety plan

The American Society for Radiation Oncology is continuing its commitment to Target Safely, a six-point patient protection plan developed in January 2010, to improve the safety and quality of radiation therapy treatments and reduce the chances of medical errors.

26 Jan 2011

Faked cancer lands British man in jail

A British father who faked a terminal cancer to his family and friends to ‘con’ them out of cash, is beginning a 20 month jail sentence today. Simon Swift, 39, from Rugby in Warwickshire, central England started by telling his wife and three teenage children that he only had months to live and sold tickets worth hundreds of pounds for a fake charity auction. He claimed in May that the cancer had started in his spine and had become terminal. He even shaved his hair and claimed marks on his neck were from radiotherapy.

26 Jan 2011

Eckert & Ziegler receives European Commission's indefinite approval for YTTRIGA

Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG, a firm specializing in radioactive compounds for the treatment of cancer, has renewed the approval of its drug YTTRIGA (Yttrium-90 chloride) by the European Commission. Five years ago the European Medicines Agency EMA approved this drug for the first time and as a result of the current renewal process the drug has now been granted an indefinite approval.

24 Jan 2011

Everist Genomics reports positive results from OncoDefender-CRC assay external validation study

Everist Genomics, a prognostics company focused on developing gene-based molecular assays for the prediction of cancer recurrence, today announced the positive results of the first external validation study of its OncoDefender-CRC colorectal cancer recurrence test. The study is being conducted by Mayo Validation Support Services, and is being coordinated with investigators and resources from all three Mayo Clinic sites.

21 Jan 2011

EDAP announces placement of first Sonolith i-sys electroconductive lithotripter in South Africa

EDAP TMS SA, the global leader in therapeutic ultrasound, reported today placement of the first Sonolith i-sys electroconductive lithotripter in South Africa.

21 Jan 2011

No robust conclusions possible on advantages or disadvantages of PET

Malignant gliomas are fast-growing brain tumours with poor prospects of recovery depending on disease stage. Experts hope that the examination of patients by means of positron emission tomography (PET) is more helpful in the choice of the right treatment than other procedures. In a final report the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now investigated the benefit of PET in the detection of recurrences. According to this report, no robust conclusions are possible on the advantages or disadvantages of PET.

20 Jan 2011

Patients with varied patchwork of genetic faults in tumours have worse outcomes

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that cervical cancer patients who have a mixture of different genetic faults in their tumour at the start of treatment may be more likely to relapse, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

19 Jan 2011

New long-term survival data from OPUS, CRYSTAL studies demonstrate strong tumor shrinkage of Erbitux

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today highlighted a further analysis of the large randomized Phase II OPUS study demonstrating an association between early tumor shrinkage and long-term median overall survival (OS) of more than 2 years for patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with Erbitux® (cetuximab) plus FOLFOX standard chemotherapy.