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.

New approach enhances radiation treatment for lung cancer brain metastases

In new research, a team led by University of Cincinnati researchers has identified a potential new way to make radiation more effective and improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer that has spread to the brain.

4 Oct 2024

New technique offers real-time glioblastoma monitoring

A new study shows the potential power of imaging paired with radiation to shape treatment for glioblastoma patients in real time.

1 Oct 2024

Immunotherapy timing key to survival in small cell lung cancer treatment

People with limited-stage small cell lung cancer may benefit from adding immunotherapy to chemoradiation, but not if both treatments are given at the same time, new research finds.

30 Sep 2024

Shortened radiation therapy proves safe for breast reconstruction after mastectomy

An accelerated course of radiation therapy does not increase complications for patients who undergo breast reconstruction following a mastectomy, new research shows.

30 Sep 2024

Standard chemoradiation outperforms de-intensified treatments in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer

Researchers looking to de-intensify radiation treatments for people with early-stage, HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer to prevent long-term side effects halted a large, randomized phase II/III trial after patients in the control arm reached a record high, two-year progression-free survival rate of 98%.

30 Sep 2024

Spirituality and distrust influence Black patients' participation in cancer trials

Spiritual beliefs and a historically-based distrust of clinical research may factor into Black patients' decisions about whether to participate in cancer trials, according to surveys of patients treated at two Baltimore medical centers.

30 Sep 2024

Study shows equal effectiveness of proton beam therapy and IMRT for prostate cancer

People with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated with either of two types of contemporary radiation therapy - proton beam therapy or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) - achieved equally high rates of tumor control with no differences in patient-reported quality of life, according to a first-of-its-kind phase III clinical trial comparing the two technologies. Findings of the PARTIQoL trial will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

30 Sep 2024

Phase III trials indicate reversible cognitive side effects in brain metastases treatment

A substantial number of patients with brain metastases who experience cognitive side effects following radiation therapy may fully regain cognitive function, according to a pooled analysis of three large, phase III clinical trials.

29 Sep 2024

Extending survival in meningioma patients with innovative radiopharmaceutical therapy

A radiopharmaceutical therapy that has successfully extended progression-free survival for patients with neuroendocrine tumors shows early promise for delivering similar benefits to patients with difficult-to-treat meningioma, a type of brain tumor.

29 Sep 2024

UCLA Health researchers showcase advances in radiation oncology at ASTRO

UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and physicians who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies will present data on the latest radiation oncology research and clinical trial results at the 66th annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Washington D.C., Sept. 29 to Oct. 2.

27 Sep 2024

Older adults face higher CVD risk post-cancer treatment

Older adults treated for cancer face twice the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared to those without cancer. The highest risks are seen in patients with metastatic, hematologic, and lung cancers, especially after chemotherapy.

25 Sep 2024

Chemotherapy linked to increased cardiovascular risks in older cancer survivors

A study based on clinical trial data found higher risks of stroke, heart attack, and hospital admission for heart failure in older cancer survivors.

23 Sep 2024

Access to accredited hospitals improves cancer care outcomes for vulnerable patients

Vulnerable patients facing social, environmental, and economic disadvantages often experience worse cancer outcomes than other groups.

19 Sep 2024

New workflow enhances proton therapy by adapting to daily changes in cancer patients

In the treatment of cancer patients, irradiation can be adapted anew each day to the position of the tumor and conditions in the body.

19 Sep 2024

Researchers seek to revolutionize rectal cancer treatment with AI

With a new four-year, $1.14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, will use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the best personalized treatment for Veterans with rectal cancer.

19 Sep 2024

New drug shows strong activity against brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer

A drug that delivers chemotherapy directly to tumors has shown impressive activity against some of the hardest-to-reach cancer cells: those that have spread to the brain in patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.

13 Sep 2024

$Hypofractionation proven safer and more convenient for breast cancer treatment$

Hypofractionation proven safer and more convenient for breast cancer treatment

Giving higher doses per fraction of radiation therapy over a shorter time after breast cancer surgery significantly reduces the risk of side effects and improves quality of life compared with a conventional schedule, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

13 Sep 2024

Long radiotherapy course shows better organ preservation in rectal cancer

The COVID-19 pandemic has enabled researchers to show that a long course of radiotherapy given before surgery may be a better treatment for avoiding surgery, preserving the rectum and anus, and preventing regrowth of the primary tumor than a short course of radiotherapy for patients with rectal cancer – a type of bowel cancer.

11 Sep 2024

Pre-surgery chemotherapy shows promise for preserving vital organs in nasal and sinus cancer

Results from a clinical trial by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) show a striking improvement for patients who received chemotherapy before surgery to remove advanced squamous cell-type cancer of the nose or sinus.

11 Sep 2024

Advancing precision medicine with functional information in cancer treatment

A new editorial was published in Volume 11 of Oncoscience on July 19, 2024, entitled, "Functional information offers individualized adaptive cancer therapies."

30 Aug 2024

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

New approach enhances radiation treatment for lung cancer brain metastases

New technique offers real-time glioblastoma monitoring

Immunotherapy timing key to survival in small cell lung cancer treatment

Shortened radiation therapy proves safe for breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Standard chemoradiation outperforms de-intensified treatments in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer

Spirituality and distrust influence Black patients' participation in cancer trials

Study shows equal effectiveness of proton beam therapy and IMRT for prostate cancer

Phase III trials indicate reversible cognitive side effects in brain metastases treatment

Extending survival in meningioma patients with innovative radiopharmaceutical therapy

UCLA Health researchers showcase advances in radiation oncology at ASTRO

Older adults face higher CVD risk post-cancer treatment

Chemotherapy linked to increased cardiovascular risks in older cancer survivors

Access to accredited hospitals improves cancer care outcomes for vulnerable patients

New workflow enhances proton therapy by adapting to daily changes in cancer patients

Researchers seek to revolutionize rectal cancer treatment with AI

New drug shows strong activity against brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer

Hypofractionation proven safer and more convenient for breast cancer treatment

Long radiotherapy course shows better organ preservation in rectal cancer

Pre-surgery chemotherapy shows promise for preserving vital organs in nasal and sinus cancer

Advancing precision medicine with functional information in cancer treatment

Lab Matters host Harriet Gould on building a more connected lab community

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

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