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.

Researchers focus on finding markers to detect atypical vascular lesions that lead to angiosarcomato

Physicians have long noticed that breast cancer patients who have had surgery or radiation therapy have an heightened risk of developing angiosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that originates in the lining of the blood vessels.

14 Sep 2010

BSD publishes article on technology to improve heat therapy delivery for cancer treatment

BSD Medical Corporation today reported publication of an article on BSD's pioneering development of sophisticated technology to improve the delivery of heat therapy for the treatment of certain cancerous tumors.

14 Sep 2010

Allos Therapeutics to present FOLOTYN trial results at ESMO Congress

Allos Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that results from the Phase 2b investigational trial of FOLOTYN (pralatrexate injection) versus erlotinib in patients with Stage IIIB/IV (advanced) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will be presented at the 35th European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress

10 Sep 2010

TransOral Robotic Surgery removes head and neck cancer tumors, while preserving speech

An incisionless robotic surgical procedure is offering patients a new option to remove certain head and neck cancer tumors without visible scarring, while preserving speech and the ability to eat.

8 Sep 2010

MSKCC develops new prediction tool to calculate risk for DCIS recurrence after breast-conserving surgery

The decision regarding treatment following breast-conserving surgery for patients diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) has long been an area of discussion and confusion for patients and physicians alike. While the mortality rates for DCIS remain low, the risk of local recurrence in the breast is high. Standard treatments following surgery include radiation therapy and hormone treatment.

4 Sep 2010

Study finds acupuncture can control side effects of cancer treatment

Recent studies have shown that acupuncture can help control a number of symptoms and side effects such as pain, fatigue, dry mouth, nausea, and vomiting associated with a variety of cancers and their treatments.

3 Sep 2010

Researchers develop gLQ Model to determine optimal dose level, treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies

There is yet no straightforward way to determine the optimal dose level and treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies such as stereotactic radiation therapy, used to treat brain and lung cancer, or for high-dose brachytherapy for prostate and other cancers.Radiation oncologists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute may have solved the problem by developing a new mathematical model that encompasses all dose levels.

3 Sep 2010

BSD Medical's MicroThermX Microwave Ablation System receives IEC 60601-1 certification

BSD Medical Corporation today reported that the Company has received certification that the MicroThermX Microwave Ablation System (MTX-180) meets all requirements for safety and performance needed for compliance with the IEC 60601-1, safety standard, "Medical Electrical Equipment Part 1: General Requirements for Safety."

2 Sep 2010

Leon-Berard Cancer Center to install CyberKnife VSI System

Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, today announced that the first CyberKnife VSI System to be installed in Europe was placed at the Leon-Berard Cancer Multidisciplinary Center in Lyon, France. The CyberKnife VSI System is the newest addition to the CyberKnife product family.

2 Sep 2010

InSightec's ExAblate Robotic Acoustic Surgery system used for prostate cancer treatment

InSightec Ltd., the global leader in MR guided focused ultrasound technology and the only company to receive FDA approval for its ExAblate(R) system for treating uterine fibroids, announced today that its ExAblate(R) system has been used for the first time for the treatment of prostate cancer patients.

31 Aug 2010

First time use of ExAblate MR Guided Focused Ultrasound System for prostate cancer treatment

Elbit Imaging Ltd. that it's subsidiary, InSightec Ltd., the global leader in MR guided focused ultrasound technology and the only company to receive FDA approval for its ExAblate(R) system for treating uterine fibroids, announced today that its ExAblate(R) system has been used for the first time for the treatment of prostate cancer patients.

31 Aug 2010

AMS enters 10-year contract to supply radiation therapy services at Hospital Santa Paula, Brazil

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, announced today that it has entered into a ten-year contract to supply radiation therapy services at Hospital Santa Paula (HSP) in São Paulo, Brazil. AMS will place an advanced technology linear accelerator with IMRT capabilities at HSP, and is expected to begin treating patients in early 2012 in conjunction with the expected completion of a new comprehensive cancer center to be built by the hospital.

30 Aug 2010

World's tallest man undergoes Gamma Knife surgery

Much of Sultan Kosen's eight feet, two-inch stature rose up in an 17-year period starting at age 10, when the benign tumor in his brain's pituitary gland highjacked the organ, causing it to secrete massive amounts of growth hormone, making Mr. Kosen's body grow fast and grow without ceasing. He will need to wait several months to find out if his Gamma Knife® surgery last Thursday at the University of Virginia (UVA, Charlottesville, Va.) has inactivated the tumor and he has reached his final height, but his physicians are optimistic.

27 Aug 2010

SNM supports U.S. Senate's introduction of CARE Act

SNM supports the U.S. Senate in its introduction of the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act of 2010, S. 3737. The proposed legislation, which was introduced in August by Sen. Mike Enzi [R-WY], aims to ensure that minimum education and credentialing standards for nuclear medicine technologists are set at the state level.

26 Aug 2010

Saint Thomas Health Services to offer program for neurosurgical patients’ better care

August is Neurosurgery Outreach Month, an effort to increase the public's knowledge about the powerful effects of neurosurgery, many of which are taking place at Saint Thomas Health Services in Tennessee.

26 Aug 2010

Sheryl Crow Imaging Center opens in Los Angeles

Breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow and the Pink Lotus Breast Center today announced the grand opening of the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center, a state of the art breast imaging center featuring the latest advancements in digital screening and diagnostic imaging technologies.

25 Aug 2010

FDA grants Fast Track Designation to Celsion's ThermoDox for liver cancer treamtment

Celsion Corporation, a leading oncology drug development company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated the HEAT Study of its investigational drug, ThermoDox, in combination with radiofrequency ablation, as a Fast Track Development Program.

25 Aug 2010

CPF continues partnership with American Thoracic Society to fund Pulmonary Fibrosis research

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the world's leading professional organization for pulmonary, critical care and sleep physicians, today announced that the CPF will again partner with the ATS to continue to fund Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) research.

24 Aug 2010

Scientific findings provide new information on prostate cancer care

A new analysis has found that short-term and long-term costs of prostate cancer care vary considerably based on which treatment strategy a man initially receives. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study finds that treatments that may be less expensive in the short-term may have higher long-term costs.

23 Aug 2010

US oncology announces its contributions in development of 42 novel cancer therapies

US Oncology, Inc., the nation's leading integrated oncology company, announced today that in less than two decades it has played a role in the development of 42 novel cancer therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

21 Aug 2010