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.

JHN to initiate new Phase I immunotherapy trial in glioblastoma

Physicians at the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience (JHN), the region's only dedicated hospital for neuroscience, are tackling a particularly aggressive brain cancer that even surgery, chemotherapy and radiation often fail to treat with a promising new immunotherapy to attack a patient's tumor with their own cancer cells.

15 Dec 2011

Ganitumab shows promise in early-phase trials for metastatic pancreatic cancer

Over 17,000 patients will have been diagnosed with locally-advanced pancreatic cancer in the United States in 2011. Surgery is not a treatment option for these patients whose tumor has grown beyond the pancreas to surrounding vital structures.

15 Dec 2011

Children of childhood cancer survivors do not have increased risk for birth defects

A large, retrospective study of the children of childhood cancer survivors who were treated with radiation therapy and/or some forms of chemotherapy found that the offspring do not have an increased risk for birth defects compared to children of cancer survivors who did not receive such treatments.

14 Dec 2011

'Twinning' team approach improves pediatric lymphoma outcomes

In an African county lacking any specialists in children's cancers, a team approach that "twins" Rwandan physicians with Boston-based pediatric oncologists has shown it can deliver expert, curative care to young patients stricken with lymphoma.

13 Dec 2011

Geron commences GRN1005 Phase 2 trial in breast cancer

Geron Corporation today announced the initiation of GRABM-B (GRN1005 Against Brain Metastases - Breast cancer), a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate GRN1005 in patients with brain metastases arising from breast cancer.

13 Dec 2011

Revenue Cycle named official billing/coding consultant to ACRO

Revenue Cycle Inc. has again been named the official billing/coding consultant to the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), according to Ron DiGiaimo, CEO of Revenue Cycle Inc.

12 Dec 2011

Mayo Clinic to break ground for cutting edge cancer therapy facility

Mayo Clinic will break ground for a cutting edge cancer therapy facility on December 13 at its hospital campus in Phoenix. Construction begins this month for a massive $182 million facility to house Mayo Clinic's Proton Beam Therapy program - marking a new era in cancer treatment.

12 Dec 2011

Many postmenopausal women quit breast cancer drugs early because of side effects

Why do so many postmenopausal women who are treated for estrogen-sensitive breast cancer quit using drugs that help prevent the disease from recurring? The first study to actually ask the women themselves -- as well as the largest, most scientifically rigorous study to examine the question -- reports 36 percent of women quit early because of the medications' side effects, which are more severe and widespread than previously known.

12 Dec 2011

Panel recommends close monitoring and delay of treatment for localized, low-risk prostate cancer

An independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health has concluded that many men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer should be closely monitored, permitting treatment to be delayed until warranted by disease progression.

9 Dec 2011

Research roundup: Depression and Medicaid spending; Saving on chronic care costs?: Mental health coverage

The researchers looked at treatment of depression in Medicaid enrollees in Florida from 1996-2006. They found a 29 percent increase in spending "despite decreases in inpatient costs." They attributed much of the increase to the growing use of antipsychotic drugs. They concluded that "spending for Medicaid enrollees with depression increased substantially, with minimal improvements in quality of care".

9 Dec 2011

USPTO issues Diabetes Patent to Omni Bio

Omni Bio Pharmaceutical, Inc. today announced that U.S. Patent No. 8,071,551, entitled "METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING DIABETES," was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on December 6, 2011. The Diabetes Patent expires in May 2022.

9 Dec 2011

Breast cancer risks and management updates

A new report that looks at the environmental factors that affect risk of breast cancer is out. It suggests that women can reduce their risk by avoiding unnecessary medical radiation, forgoing hormone treatments for menopause that combine estrogen and progestin, limiting alcohol intake and minimizing weight gain.

8 Dec 2011

Study raises questions about breast cancer therapy

The study, which looked at Medicare records of more than 130,000 women, found that those who underwent the faster treatment, called brachytherapy, were about twice as likely to have a mastectomy in the following five years -

8 Dec 2011

First Edition: December 7, 2011

In the news today, a status check on the work -- including the Medicare doc fix -- that Congress still needs to attend to before leaving Washington for the holidays.

7 Dec 2011

Study compares two radiation therapy techniques available to women with breast cancer

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) brachytherapy, the localized form of radiation therapy growing increasingly popular as a treatment choice for women with early-stage breast cancer, is associated with higher rate of later mastectomy, increased radiation-related toxicities and post-operative complications, compared to traditional whole breast irradiation (WBI), according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Dec 2011

TAU develops tumor destruction method that also creates immunity

Even when surgical tumor removal is combined with a heavy dose of chemotherapy or radiation, there's no guarantee that the cancer will not return. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University are strengthening the odds in favor of permanent tumor destruction - and an immunity to the cancer's return - with a new method of tumor removal.

7 Dec 2011

Hormone-blocking therapy for prostate cancer does not raise risk of heart attacks

Hormone-blocking therapy for prostate cancer doesn't raise the risk of fatal heart attacks - as some recent studies had suggested - according to a new report from Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center.

7 Dec 2011

Landauer fourth quarter revenue increases 5.3% to $120.5 million

Landauer, Inc., a recognized leader in personal and environmental radiation monitoring, outsourced medical physics services and high quality medical consumable accessories, today reported financial results for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter and year ended September 30, 2011.

6 Dec 2011

Four clinical centers to provide NovoTTF device treatment for recurrent GBM

Novocure, a commercial stage private oncology company, has announced that prominent neuro-oncologists at four clinical centers in the U.S. will be the first to provide access to its Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) device, NovoTTF-100A System, for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. GBM is a deadly brain tumor affecting approximately 10,000 Americans each year.

3 Dec 2011

University of Illinois Hospital prescribes Tumor Treating Fields therapy for recurrent GBM

The University of Illinois Hospital is the first center in North America to prescribe a new FDA-approved treatment for patients with the most common and aggressive type of brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM.

3 Dec 2011

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

JHN to initiate new Phase I immunotherapy trial in glioblastoma

Ganitumab shows promise in early-phase trials for metastatic pancreatic cancer

Children of childhood cancer survivors do not have increased risk for birth defects

'Twinning' team approach improves pediatric lymphoma outcomes

Geron commences GRN1005 Phase 2 trial in breast cancer

Revenue Cycle named official billing/coding consultant to ACRO

Mayo Clinic to break ground for cutting edge cancer therapy facility

Many postmenopausal women quit breast cancer drugs early because of side effects

Panel recommends close monitoring and delay of treatment for localized, low-risk prostate cancer

Research roundup: Depression and Medicaid spending; Saving on chronic care costs?: Mental health coverage

USPTO issues Diabetes Patent to Omni Bio

Breast cancer risks and management updates

Study raises questions about breast cancer therapy

First Edition: December 7, 2011

Study compares two radiation therapy techniques available to women with breast cancer

TAU develops tumor destruction method that also creates immunity

Hormone-blocking therapy for prostate cancer does not raise risk of heart attacks

Landauer fourth quarter revenue increases 5.3% to $120.5 million

Four clinical centers to provide NovoTTF device treatment for recurrent GBM

University of Illinois Hospital prescribes Tumor Treating Fields therapy for recurrent GBM

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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