Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Cervical cancer has profound psychosocial impact on affected women, as well as male partners

20 Oct 2005

New treatment advances for patients with follicular lymphoma

A newly published study recommends that doctors carefully choose their patients' initial therapies because there are significant differences in overall survival rates, according to researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center's James P. Wilmot Cancer Center.

20 Oct 2005

Distress caused by hot flushes seriously under-played

A study by UK researchers of over 200 breast cancer patients receiving hormone treatments such as tamoxifen has found that nearly two-thirds would prefer to take a tablet daily and around a quarter would prefer a monthly injection, given that both treatments would be equally effective and have similar side-effects.

19 Oct 2005

Shaped-beam radiation therapy is a promising treatment for life-threatening metastatic liver tumors

...according to researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center who report an 88 percent success rate for controlling the lesions. This is the first evidence that doctors can treat these tumors with radiation, and the results doubled the average length of survival.

19 Oct 2005

Yearly PSA test saves lives

Men who have a yearly blood test to examine their prostate specific antigen levels are nearly three times less likely to die from prostate cancer than those who don't have annual screenings, according to a study presented October 19, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 47th Annual Meeting in Denver.

19 Oct 2005

Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery (GKRS) is an effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia

"This has proven to be a safe, effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia patients, without the potential facial paralysis and long-term recovery experienced with conventional surgery," said Volker Stieber, M.D., co-director of the Gamma Knife Program at Wake Forest Baptist.

19 Oct 2005

Herceptin results "quite remarkable"

The targeted drug trastuzumab, or Herceptin, previously shown to prolong survival in advanced breast cancer, dramatically reduced the chances of recurrence in patients with early-stage disease when given for one year following standard chemotherapy.

19 Oct 2005

Herceptin therapy highly superior to standard breast cancer treatment

In a joint paper, co-authored by Mayo Clinic's Edith Perez, M.D., and Edward Romond, M.D., of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), researchers report complete and combined results of two trials comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with or without concurrent trastuzumab treatment in women with surgically removed HER2-positive breast cancer.

19 Oct 2005

Majority of women with breast cancer do not need chemotherapy

Researchers are now saying that chemotherapy with drugs called aromatase inhibitors is unnecessary after lumpectomy, radiation and 5 years of Tamoxifen, for the vast majority of women with breast cancer.

19 Oct 2005

Patients with head and neck cancer may be spared the risk and expense of surgery by undergoing a CT scan

Researchers with the UF Shands Cancer Center have identified criteria doctors can use to evaluate CT scans four weeks after patients undergo initial treatment. If these criteria are met, there is a 94 percent likelihood a patient's lymph nodes are cancer free, said Stanley L. Liauw, M.D., a resident in radiation oncology.

18 Oct 2005

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer

Results from a University of Pittsburgh study evaluating intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer determined the ideal doses for lessening treatment side effects. The findings were presented today at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.

18 Oct 2005

Treating malignant melanoma of the uvea with radiation therapy can spare patients from significant vision loss

Treating a rare form of eye cancer with radiation therapy can spare patients from significant vision loss, according to new research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

18 Oct 2005

Possible new combination treatment regimen for patients with head and neck cancers who develop a second tumor

Few treatment options exist for patients with head and neck cancers who develop a second tumor or whose disease recurs in an area that has previously received radiation. Data from an international study reveal a possible new combination treatment regimen that offers a significant survival advantage for many of these patients.

18 Oct 2005

Treating four or more brain tumors in a single radiosurgery session resulted in improved survival

...compared to whole brain radiation therapy alone, according to a study the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine presented today at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.

18 Oct 2005

Single men are less likely to seek radiation re-treatment for pain caused by prostate cancer

"Patients often experience a great deal of pain if their cancer spreads to the bone," explained Andre Konski, M.D., M.B.A., M.A., F.A.C.R., director of clinical research in the radiation oncology department at Fox Chase Cancer Center and lead author of the paper on the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study (RTOG 97-14).

18 Oct 2005

New prostate cancer test far more accurate

At present in order to predict prostate cancer outcomes, doctors rely on measures that suggest how far the tumour has spread and how abnormal the cancer cells appear under the microscope.

18 Oct 2005

Women with cervical cancer have a broad range of concerns

A recent study in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer revealed that women with cervical cancer have a broad range of concerns regarding cervical cancer, its treatment and additional psychosocial issues, including but not limited to sexuality, and that their male partners had equal levels of concerns in the first year following treatment, contrary to beliefs that the types or intensities of concerns between the two may differ.

17 Oct 2005

Study shows possibilities for curing patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma of their cancer

Doctors in Germany have determined that patients suffering from early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma can receive a reduced dose of involved field radiation therapy, combined with chemotherapy, and still retain a high survival rate, according to a study presented October 17, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 47th Annual Meeting in Denver.

17 Oct 2005

Researchers identify biomarker that indicates a more agressive form of prostate cancer

Staging factors for prostate cancer such as PSA and the Gleason score are extremely useful in predicting prostate cancer outcome," explained Pollack. "However, new biomarkers hold promise in strengthening our ability to predict response to treatment. By identifying the more virulent forms of prostate cancer, we may be able to tailor treatment or develop therapies to target the abnormalities identified."

17 Oct 2005

Treating breast cancer with "MammoSite" study

Treating breast cancer with MammoSite resulted in a low risk of complications and was generally well tolerated, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study presented today at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.

17 Oct 2005

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

Cervical cancer has profound psychosocial impact on affected women, as well as male partners

New treatment advances for patients with follicular lymphoma

Distress caused by hot flushes seriously under-played

Shaped-beam radiation therapy is a promising treatment for life-threatening metastatic liver tumors

Yearly PSA test saves lives

Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery (GKRS) is an effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia

Herceptin results "quite remarkable"

Herceptin therapy highly superior to standard breast cancer treatment

Majority of women with breast cancer do not need chemotherapy

Patients with head and neck cancer may be spared the risk and expense of surgery by undergoing a CT scan

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer

Treating malignant melanoma of the uvea with radiation therapy can spare patients from significant vision loss

Possible new combination treatment regimen for patients with head and neck cancers who develop a second tumor

Treating four or more brain tumors in a single radiosurgery session resulted in improved survival

Single men are less likely to seek radiation re-treatment for pain caused by prostate cancer

New prostate cancer test far more accurate

Women with cervical cancer have a broad range of concerns

Study shows possibilities for curing patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma of their cancer

Researchers identify biomarker that indicates a more agressive form of prostate cancer

Treating breast cancer with "MammoSite" study

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