Radiation Therapy News and Research

RSS

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.

Combination of metformin and chemoradiation does not add survival benefit in patients with LA-NSCLC

A combination of metformin and chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) was not found to add survival benefit in the NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-LU001. These results were recently published in JAMA Oncology.

25 Aug 2021

Intestinal microorganisms help regulate anti-tumor immune responses to radiation therapy, study finds

Cedars-Sinai Cancer researchers have discovered that intestinal microorganisms help regulate anti-tumor immune responses to radiation treatments, and that fungi and bacteria have opposing effects on those responses.

24 Aug 2021

Waterloo experts are developing new cancer treatments with high-intensity focused ultrasound

Researchers are bringing the use of acoustic waves to target and destroy cancerous tumors closer to reality.

24 Aug 2021

Study provides new data on discontinuation of active surveillance by low-risk prostate cancer patients

Nearly half of men initially managed with active surveillance for "low-risk" prostate cancer transition to definitive treatment – such as surgery or radiation therapy – within a few years after diagnosis.

23 Aug 2021

Study in dogs may lead to better understanding of how gliomas affect the immune system

A new study reveals that high-grade gliomas, or brain tumors, in dogs contained more immune cells associated with suppressing immune response than low-grade gliomas.

20 Aug 2021

Study identifies Foxo1 gene as a potential treatment target for hereditary lymphedema

A University of South Florida preclinical study unexpectedly identified the gene Foxo1 as a potential treatment target for hereditary lymphedema.

10 Aug 2021

Covid renews interest in radiation, but docs caution against pilgrimages to radon-filled mines

Twice a year, Brian Tichenor makes the 1,200-mile drive each way from his home in Kansas to a defunct uranium mine in Montana, where he takes an elevator 85 feet below the surface to sit amid radioactive radon gas to ease the pain from his chronic eye condition.

29 Jul 2021

Investigational Oncomagnetic Device shrinks end-stage recurrent glioblastoma

Houston Methodist Neurological Institute researchers from the department of neurosurgery shrunk a deadly glioblastoma tumor by more than a third using a helmet generating a noninvasive oscillating magnetic field that the patient wore on his head while administering the therapy in his own home.

22 Jul 2021

Study shows promise of combining radiation therapy with dendritic-cell vaccines for breast cancer

A research team led by Fumito Ito, MD, PhD, FACS, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center reports new data on the promise of combining standard treatment for breast cancer with a particular form of cancer immmunotherapy -; dendritic-cell (DC) treatment vaccines.

20 Jul 2021

Research reveals clues to how a molecule improves appearance of surgery scars

Surgical scars treated with a molecule called alphaCT1 showed a long-term improvement in appearance when compared to control scars, according to multicenter, controlled Phase II clinical trials - a finding that could help surgeons improve patient outcomes.

20 Jul 2021

Antihypertension drug may benefit patients with neurofibromatosis type 2

New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear indicates that the blood pressure drug losartan may benefit patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a hereditary condition associated with vestibular schwannomas, or noncancerous tumors along the nerves in the brain that are involved with hearing and balance.

15 Jul 2021

Quantum physics helps trigger cancer cell death

Cancer cell death is triggered within three days when X-rays are shone onto tumor tissue containing iodine-carrying nanoparticles.

14 Jul 2021

WVU researcher-led effort ensures accuracy of data that dictates cancer patient's radiation therapy

Just as helicopter traffic reporters use their "bird's eye view" to route drivers around roadblocks safely, radiation oncologists treating a variety of cancers can use new guidelines developed by a West Virginia University researcher to reduce mistakes in data transfer and more safely treat their patients.

13 Jul 2021

Researchers seek to find a cure for the deadliest solid tumor in children

Australian researchers and oncologists have been awarded $2.4 million to investigate the causes and treatments for neuroblastoma, the deadliest and most common solid tumor in children under the age of five.

5 Jul 2021

Review: Endovascular therapy is the safest, most effective treatment for superior vena cava syndrome

Like a blocked water line, obstructions in blood vessels in the human circulatory system can cause serious problems.

28 Jun 2021

New antibody conjugate delivers drugs to bone tumors and inhibits metastasis

Bone cancer is hard to treat and prone to metastasis. Research teams at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have a new strategy to attack it.

23 Jun 2021

Tips of cancer survivors' tongues are less sensitive to tastes, study finds

Most survivors of squamous cell head and neck cancers report that their sense of taste is dulled, changed or lost during radiation treatment, causing them to lose interest in eating and diminishing their quality of life.

23 Jun 2021

CU Cancer Center researcher investigates new treatment sequence for esophageal cancer

Looking for better ways to treat patients with esophageal cancer, University of Colorado Cancer Center member Martin McCarter, MD, is investigating whether a new treatment sequence will result in better outcomes.

22 Jun 2021

FLASH radiotherapy could revolutionize future tumor treatments

It could become a breakthrough for future tumor treatments with heavy ions and pave new ways: In the current experiment period FAIR-Phase 0, the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and the future accelerator center FAIR succeeded in performing a carbon ion FLASH experiment for the first time.

21 Jun 2021

CU Cancer Center secures unique SPORE grant for head and neck cancer research

Research and treatment of head and neck cancers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center reached a new level this month with a highly competitive Specialized Programs of Research Excellence grant from the National Cancer Institute.