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).

New strategies with greater antitumorous efficacy

One of the biggest problems in the current treatment of cancer is that the agents that are efficacious in the destruction of tumorous cells are, at the same time, extremely toxic for the rest of the healthy cells and tissues of the patient.

3 Oct 2007

Cancer researchers seek safe reduction of radiotherapy

Around half of patients receive radiotherapy as part of their cancer treatment but the dose is limited by the possibility of causing side effects (toxicity) to the normal tissues and organs that surround the tumour.

From The University of Manchester 3 Oct 2007

Cancer researchers seek safe reduction of radiotherapy

University of Manchester scientists discussed their research aimed at reducing the side effects of radiotherapy without decreasing its effectiveness at the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Birmingham today (Tuesday 2 October 2007).

From The University of Manchester 2 Oct 2007

Gene discovery that affects breast cancer treatment

Medical scientists at the University of Leicester will be reporting on a potentially unique advance in breast cancer research at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham on Monday 1st October.

2 Oct 2007

New way to deliver agents for the treatment of skin cancer

Queen's University scientists have hit upon a revolutionary way to deliver agents for the treatment of skin cancer.

1 Oct 2007

Effectiveness of acupuncture for cancer treatment relief

Despite widespread belief among cancer patients and health care professionals that acupuncture helps relieve nausea caused by cancer treatment, new research in radiotherapy has found it does not.

27 Sep 2007

Survey reveals ignorance and confusion about cancer amongst seniors

Barcelona, Spain: Elderly Spaniards have very poor knowledge about cancer, its causes, treatment and prevention according to research carried out amongst people living in and around Barcelona.

26 Sep 2007

New chemotherapy regimen prolongs survival in difficult-to-treat childhood brainstem gliomas

Childhood brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are rare but can be very difficult to treat successfully and they tend to have poor survival rates.

26 Sep 2007

Vaginal brachytherapy improves quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer

Quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer can be significantly improved by the use of vaginal brachytherapy, where radiotherapy is delivered internally using a vaginal cylinder, the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

25 Sep 2007

Internal radiotherapy better than external for quality of life in endometrial cancer patients

24 Sep 2007

Varian Medical Systems receives FDA clearance for new radiosurgery device

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. has received FDA 510(k) clearance for a new high-definition multileaf collimator (MLC), an ultra-fine beam shaping device for radiosurgery.

18 Sep 2007

Chemoradiation in advanced head and neck cancers

Advanced cancer in the head and neck is traditionally treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy.

17 Sep 2007

Fatigue after treatment for early stage breast cancer

A new study finds that, compared to healthy women, breast cancer survivors reported more days of fatigue and more severe fatigue symptoms.

17 Sep 2007

Chemotherapy may be culprit for fatigue in breast cancer survivors

A new study finds that, compared to healthy women, breast cancer survivors reported more days of fatigue and more severe fatigue symptoms.

11 Sep 2007

New anti-cancer drug made from corn lillies kills brain tumor stem cells

A drug that shuts down a critical cell-signaling pathway in the most common and aggressive type of adult brain cancer successfully kills cancer stem cells thought to fuel tumor growth and help cancers evade drug and radiation therapy, a Johns Hopkins study shows.

30 Aug 2007

Report on access to cancer drugs across Europe flawed

A leading epidemiologist has attacked Swedish research that looked at inequalities in patients' access to cancer drugs across Europe and the world.

30 Aug 2007

Nanotubes offer new approach to cancer radiotherapy

Radioactive elements, or radionuclides, are well-established anticancer agents whose main limitation is that they kill healthy cells almost as easily as they do tumors. But because nanoparticles can be targeted to tumors, researchers have seized on the idea of using nanoparticles to deliver radionuclides to tumors, thus sparing healthy tissues from radiation-induced damage.

22 Aug 2007

Prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell lung cancer significantly increases survival

Prophylactic cranial irradiation after chemotherapy significantly reduces the risk of brain metastasis and doubles one-year survival in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to the results of the multicenter phase III randomized EORTC trial 08993-22993, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

17 Aug 2007

Killer T cell treatment shows promise against cancers in transplant patients

Blood cell donations could be used to treat transplant patients with a particular form of cancer, according to a Cancer Research UK study reported in the journal Blood.

15 Aug 2007