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).

Low levels of pre-treatment radiation do not risk radiotherapy efficacy in prostate, lung cancer patients

Scientists from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit will present data that suggests low levels of pre-treatment radiation mimicking the doses delivered by CT scans for image guidance pose no risk to the efficacy of radiotherapy in patients with prostate carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma. The findings will be formally announced on Sunday, Oct. 31, during the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

29 Oct 2010

Researchers find link between telomere length and colorectal cancer risk

For the first time, researchers have found a link between long telomeres and an increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research special conference on Colorectal Cancer Biology to Therapy, held here Oct. 27-30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

World's largest free-standing proton therapy center opens

Hampton University, along with the Honorable Gov. Bob McDonnell and hundreds of guests, celebrated the grand opening of the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI), the world's largest free-standing proton center, on Thursday.

28 Oct 2010

Calypso Medical initiates clinical study to evaluate tracking technology for lung tumors

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumors, today announced the initiation of the first clinical study to evaluate the use of the Calypso System for tracking lung cancer tumors during radiation delivery, including a new design of the Company's implantable Beacon transponder.

28 Oct 2010

New type of radiation reduces GI side effects but does not improve survival rate in prostate cancer patients

A new British review of existing research suggests that while a newer type of radiation for the treatment of prostate cancer does not help patients live longer compared to an older type at least when similar doses are given it does appear to reduce gastrointestinal side effects.

27 Oct 2010

HIFU technology effective for treating metastatic liver cancer

EDAP TMS SA the global leader in therapeutic ultrasound, reported today successful completion of the first phase of the clinical protocol aimed at evaluating High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) technology in patients with metastatic liver cancer. HIFU has the potential to destroy liver tumors through ablation and to reduce bleeding during surgery.

27 Oct 2010

IMRT reduces gastrointestinal complications in prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer patients who receive intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) are less apt to suffer serious gastrointestinal complications following their treatment than those who receive three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (CRT), according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

27 Oct 2010

Lumiphore signs global cooperation with Algeta to integrate Lumi4 complexes

Lumiphore Inc., a portfolio company of Nanostart AG, has signed a global cooperation with Algeta ASA a leading company specializing in innovative radiopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer patients. The agreement enables the integration of Lumiphore's Lumi4 complexes into the targeted radiotherapeutics and companion diagnostics from Algeta.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 26 Oct 2010

Study finds ABVD standard chemotherapy effective for Hodgkin's lymphoma

A lower dose of radiation used to reduce side effects is not as effective as the regular dose when given with the standard chemotherapy in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with early, intermediate-stage disease, according to a first-of-its-kind randomized study presented at the plenary session, November 1, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

Short course of radiation before surgery reduces rectal cancer recurrence: Study

Patients with cancer found at the end of the large intestine called the rectum who receive one week of radiation therapy before surgery have a 50 percent reduction in chance that their cancer will return after 10 years, according to a large, randomized study presented at the plenary session, November 1, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

Chemoradiotherapy can reduce bladder cancer recurrence

A major bladder cancer trial, funded by Cancer Research UK, has shown that adding two commonly used chemotherapy drugs to traditional radiotherapy can reduce the chance of a patient's tumour coming back by a third.

26 Oct 2010

Aspirin reduces risk of death from prostate cancer

Men with prostate cancer who take anticoagulants like aspirin in addition to radiation therapy or surgery may be able to cut their risk of dying of the disease by more than half, according to a large study presented on November 3, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego. The study involved more than 5,000 men with localized cancer whose disease had not spread beyond the prostate gland.

26 Oct 2010

IMRT minimizes gastrointestinal side effects of prostate cancer treatment

Men with prostate cancer treated with a specialized type of radiation called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) have fewer gastrointestinal complications compared to patients treated with conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), according to a study presented November 1, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

Combination of chemotherapy and radiation improves control of cancer within bladder

Adding chemotherapy to radiation therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer allows 67 percent of people to be free of disease in their bladders two years after treatment. This compares to 54 percent of people who receive radiation alone, according to the largest randomized study of its kind presented at the plenary session, November 1, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

New annual campaign to prevent skin cancer

The annual "Euromelanoma Day" campaign is designed to prevent skin cancer among the general public. While there has been considerable interest, it has proved difficult to reach out to some of the at-risk groups. As such, new ways of encouraging these people to go to a dermatologist are being introduced, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg presented at the dermatologist conference in Sweden.

25 Oct 2010

New data from ESHO/EORTC STBSG Phase III clinical study of hyperthermia

BSD Medical Corporation announced publication in Internal Medicine News Digital Network of new data from the ESHO/EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group (STBSG) Phase III clinical study of hyperthermia.

21 Oct 2010

IRB approves CEL-SCI’s Multikine Phase III clinical trial for head and neck cancer

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today it has received approval from seven hospital Institutional Review Boards in India to begin enrollment of subjects for a Phase III clinical trial of Multikine, the Company's flagship immunotherapy developed as a first-line standard of care in treating head and neck cancer.

21 Oct 2010

Japanese study finds proton beam therapy safe and effective for Stage I inoperable NSCLC

Proton beam therapy is safe and effective and may be superior to other conventional treatments for Stage I inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, according to a study in the October issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

20 Oct 2010

Cytheris initiates ORVACS Phase II clinical trial to study HIV infection

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced the initiation of Phase II clinical trial of the company's investigative immunomodulatory agent, CYT107 (rhIL-7), in combination with two potent antiretroviral drugs represented by the integrase inhibitor raltegravir (ISENTRESS- Merck & Co.) and the CCR5 inhibitor, maraviroc (SELZENTRY- ViiV Healthcare).

19 Oct 2010

New clinical trial to treat brain cancer launched

Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Technology the charity's development and commercialisation arm together with immatics biotechnologies have launched the first clinical trial of a promising cancer vaccine to treat glioblastoma, one of the most common forms of brain cancer.

19 Oct 2010