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.

Prostate cancer patients treated with CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System enrolled in RPCR

The CyberKnife Coalition announced today that more than 500 men treated with the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System have now been enrolled in the first national patient registry designed specifically to track prostate cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.

1 Oct 2011

Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson celebrates two decades of caring and collaboration to beat cancer

From October forward, the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson (KCC), a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, is celebrating 20 years of service to the community and the groundbreaking cancer research from the scientists and physicians who've provided an invaluable contribution to medical science and healthcare.

30 Sep 2011

ASTRO to honor Allegheny RN with 2011 Nurse Excellence Award

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected Linda Meyer, RN, MSN, OCN, of West Penn Allegheny Health System in Pittsburgh, as the recipient of the 2011 ASTRO Nurse Excellence Award.

28 Sep 2011

Men with localized prostate cancer benefit from intensity modulated radiation therapy

Men with localized prostate cancer treated with a newer technology, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), have more than a quarter (26 percent) fewer late bowel and rectal side effects and a statistically improved lower dose of radiation to the bladder and rectum, compared to those who undergo 3D-CRT, according to a randomized study presented at the plenary session October 3, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

27 Sep 2011

World's first treatment of metastasized brain cancer uses IsoRay's Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds

IsoRay, a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications, announced today that doctors at New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Weill Cornell Medical Center have performed the world's first treatment of metastasized brain cancer using IsoRay's Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds.

26 Sep 2011

Converting genetic data into biomedical knowledge a true challenge for statisticians

Within a decade, a combination of advanced measurement techniques and statistics will enable scientists to develop methods to diagnose serious diseases caused by genetic defects. Ten years after that, there may be medicines available to repair these defects.

21 Sep 2011

Elekta acquires Nucletron

Elekta AB today announced it has successfully completed its acquisition of Nucletron, the world leader in brachytherapy treatment planning and delivery. Through the combination Elekta will offer a complete range of radiotherapy planning and delivery technologies.

From Elekta 15 Sep 2011

Differences in lifestyle, tumor genetics linked to head and neck cancer in African Americans

Why are African Americans more likely than Caucasians to be not only diagnosed with head and neck cancer, but also die from the disease? While the answer isn't a simple one, differences in lifestyle, access to care and tumor genetics may, in part, be to blame, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital.

15 Sep 2011

Positive data from Aeterna Zentaris' AEZS-108 Phase 2 study on advanced endometrial cancer

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. earlier today, presented positive final Phase 2 efficacy and safety data for its targeted cytotoxic luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analog, AEZS-108, in advanced endometrial cancer.

14 Sep 2011

Nanobiotix starts clinical trial of new cancer treatment for soft tissue sarcoma

Nanobiotix, a company developing novel cancer nanotherapeutics, announced today that its lead compound NBTXR3 has received the formal authorization from the French Medicine Agency, AFSSAPS, to start the first clinical trial.

14 Sep 2011

IsoRay receives FDA clearance for GliaSite radiation therapy system to treat brain cancer

IsoRay, Inc. announced today that the FDA has cleared its GliaSite radiation therapy system, a balloon catheter device used in the treatment of brain cancer.

12 Sep 2011

ASTRO, Cancer Support Community Greater Miami partner to raise awareness on survivorship issues

As part of an initiative to give back to the cancer communities in the cities visited during its annual scientific meetings, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is partnering with the Cancer Support Community Greater Miami to raise awareness of cancer survivorship issues.

9 Sep 2011

Stage III lung cancer patients can benefit from concurrent chemo and radiation therapy

Nearly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with stage III or locally advanced NSCLC, for which surgery is usually not a viable treatment option. Optimizing nonsurgical treatment strategies for these patients is an ongoing research endeavor.

9 Sep 2011

Pathology Visions Conference to be held at Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego

Mahul B. Amin, MD, chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, will offer his perspectives and expertise on personalized medicine and digital pathology at the 2011 Pathology Visions Conference.

3 Sep 2011

Researchers discover mechanisms behind BRCA1 gene mutations in breast and ovarian cancer

It is widely known that mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility 1 (BRCA1) gene significantly increase the chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers, but the mechanisms at play are not fully understood. Now, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have shown that certain BRCA1 mutations result in excessive, uncontrolled DNA repair, which challenges the prior assumption that mutations in BRCA1 only contribute to breast cancer through a reduction in function.

3 Sep 2011

Jefferson's two-step bone marrow transplant procedure holds promise for cancer patients

Half-matched bone marrow or stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients have typically been associated with disappointing clinical outcomes. However, a clinical trial conducted at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson testing its unique, two-step half-match procedure has produced some promising results: the probability of overall survival was 45 percent in all patients after three years and 75 percent in patients who were in remission at the time of the transplant.

2 Sep 2011

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Prostate cancer patients treated with CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System enrolled in RPCR

Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson celebrates two decades of caring and collaboration to beat cancer

ASTRO to honor Allegheny RN with 2011 Nurse Excellence Award

Men with localized prostate cancer benefit from intensity modulated radiation therapy

World's first treatment of metastasized brain cancer uses IsoRay's Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds

Converting genetic data into biomedical knowledge a true challenge for statisticians

Elekta acquires Nucletron

Differences in lifestyle, tumor genetics linked to head and neck cancer in African Americans

Positive data from Aeterna Zentaris' AEZS-108 Phase 2 study on advanced endometrial cancer

Nanobiotix starts clinical trial of new cancer treatment for soft tissue sarcoma

IsoRay receives FDA clearance for GliaSite radiation therapy system to treat brain cancer

ASTRO, Cancer Support Community Greater Miami partner to raise awareness on survivorship issues

Stage III lung cancer patients can benefit from concurrent chemo and radiation therapy

Pathology Visions Conference to be held at Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego

Researchers discover mechanisms behind BRCA1 gene mutations in breast and ovarian cancer

Jefferson's two-step bone marrow transplant procedure holds promise for cancer patients

ASTRO's 53rd Annual Meeting to highlight new cancer advances in Miami

RI Hospital researcher supports use of ablation procedures for treatment of lung cancer

New implantable micro oxygen generator improves effectiveness of anticancer tharapy

Valproic acid may increase survival for brain tumor patients

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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