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.

Meningiomas account for about 25% of primary brain tumors: Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Meningiomas, the most common type of brain tumors, are rarely cancerous and may not require treatment. The July issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers an overview of this brain tumor that is usually benign.

16 Jul 2010

Premier, Xoft execute group purchasing contract

Premier Inc., an alliance of more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 67,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to achieve high quality, cost-effective care, and Xoft, Inc., the leading provider of FDA-cleared Electronic Brachytherapy Systems, announced the execution of a group purchasing contract. Xoft was awarded an exclusive three-year contract for brachytherapy systems with Premier Purchasing Partners L.P., the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc.

15 Jul 2010

ABR qualifies eDataAudit as Practice Quality Improvement for Maintenance of Certification

D3 Radiation Services announced today that the American Board of Radiology (ABR) has qualified eDataAudit--a new service designed to reduce errors in the delivery of radiation therapy--as a Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) for the purpose of Maintenance of Certification (MOC).

15 Jul 2010

Highlights of AAPM 52nd meeting

The 52nd meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) convenes from July 18 - 22, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.

14 Jul 2010

New prediction tool estimates risk for recurrence after breast-conserving surgery in DCIS patients

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. While both treatments have been proven to lower the risk of recurrence in the breast, neither has been shown to improve survival, and both carry potentially serious risks.

14 Jul 2010

New prediction tool may determine patients' risk for ductal carcinoma

14 Jul 2010

Silicon oil appears to protect vision in patients undergoing radiation therapy for ocular melanoma: Study

Eye cancer patients face an unenviable dilemma. They must enter treatment knowing that their surgeon's strategy to kill the deadly tumor with radiation may also sacrifice their eyesight.

13 Jul 2010

New study shows SAVI radiation therapy controls rate of breast cancer

A new study of breast cancer patients at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center and the Arizona Oncology Services shows that after almost two years, the radiation given with the Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant controls the rate of cancer and may reduce the complications seen with alternate types of brachytherapy.

13 Jul 2010

BSD receives FDA review questions for Phase II MTX-180 Microwave Ablation System 510(k) submission

BSD Medical Corporation today announced that it has received review questions from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the 510(k) submission the Company filed for premarket clearance of the Company's Phase II MicroThermX® Microwave Ablation System (MTX-180) for ablation of soft tissue.

12 Jul 2010

Reducing chronic pain, dry mouth could improve quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: Study

Head and neck cancer patients who reported poor sleep quality one year after diagnosis had more symptoms of chronic pain and complaints of dry mouth related to radiation treatments, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

12 Jul 2010

Alliance HealthCare Services acquires certain radiation therapy assets from Arkansas Cancer Center

Alliance HealthCare Services, Inc.), a leading national provider of outpatient diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy services, announced the acquisition of certain radiation therapy assets from Arkansas Cancer Center, P.A. The purchase price is expected to total approximately $9 million in cash and assumed indebtedness.

12 Jul 2010

Promising study may lead to potential new therapeutics for women facing triple-negative breast cancer

Using a small molecule decoy, investigators funded by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation have managed to block protein interactions and induce epigenetic reprogramming in human and mouse breast cancer cells, essentially changing the gene expression of breast cancer cells to behave in a more normal manner.

9 Jul 2010

Study finds EUS associated with improved outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic cancer

A new study has found that endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is associated with improved outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic cancer, possibly due to the detection of earlier cancers and improved stage-appropriate management, including more selective performance of curative intent surgery. This is the first study to analyze a large population-based cancer registry and demonstrate that EUS evaluation is associated with improved pancreatic cancer survival.

9 Jul 2010

Calithera Biosciences completes Series A financing totaling $40M

Calithera Biosciences, a company developing novel oncology therapeutics, today announced the completion of a Series A financing totaling $40 million. Morgenthaler Ventures led the financing with U.S. Venture Partners, Advanced Technology Ventures, Delphi Ventures and Mission Bay Capital also participating in the round. The capital will be used to support the company's pioneering efforts to develop activators of caspases, the proteases that promote apoptotic cell death, for the treatment of cancer and other proliferative diseases.

8 Jul 2010

Idera announces issuance of patents for synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to TLRs

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the issuance of patents covering compositions and methods of using its synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The Company's intellectual property portfolio currently contains over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide and includes claims for TLR-targeted compounds, second-generation antisense chemistry, and oral delivery of certain oligonucleotides.

8 Jul 2010

EUSA grants Ohara Japanese rights to Erwinase oncology therapy

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, pain control and critical care, today announced that it has granted the Japanese development and commercialization rights to its oncology therapy Erwinase(R) to Ohara Pharmaceutical Company Limited. The agreement represents the first product partnership EUSA has established in Japan.

6 Jul 2010

Heart patients treated for lymphoma at increased risk of cardiac problems

Older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a history of heart disease face a high risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after completing treatment, according to research published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. HL is a form of cancer of arising in the lymph nodes, and approximately 8,500 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2009, according to the American Cancer Society.

3 Jul 2010

64-year-old female Latin American receives Elekta VMAT radiotherapy enhanced with Monaco planning software

A 64-year-old female patient with mediastinal metastasis recently became the first in Latin America to receive Elekta VMAT radiotherapy treatment enhanced with Monaco® planning software. Using the arc-based Elekta VMAT delivery method, Monaco displays how the radiation dose should be applied — its distribution and strength on the target. The result is a therapy that not only is rapid, but also fine-tuned to treat cancer and avoid healthy tissues.

From Elekta 3 Jul 2010

HL patients with heart disease at increased risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after treatment

2 Jul 2010

Proton Therapy USA, CareCapital form Proton Therapy Global Management

Proton Therapy USA and CareCapital plc announced today the formation of Proton Therapy Global Management (PTGM). The Company will design, develop and manage a global network of proton therapy centers, providing access to this specialized and highly effective treatment to the world's growing population of cancer patients. Proton therapy is a precise form of radiation treatment that has been very successful in treating a wide range of localized tumors, while leaving healthy tissue mostly intact.

30 Jun 2010

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Meningiomas account for about 25% of primary brain tumors: Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Premier, Xoft execute group purchasing contract

ABR qualifies eDataAudit as Practice Quality Improvement for Maintenance of Certification

Highlights of AAPM 52nd meeting

New prediction tool estimates risk for recurrence after breast-conserving surgery in DCIS patients

New prediction tool may determine patients' risk for ductal carcinoma

Silicon oil appears to protect vision in patients undergoing radiation therapy for ocular melanoma: Study

New study shows SAVI radiation therapy controls rate of breast cancer

BSD receives FDA review questions for Phase II MTX-180 Microwave Ablation System 510(k) submission

Reducing chronic pain, dry mouth could improve quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: Study

Alliance HealthCare Services acquires certain radiation therapy assets from Arkansas Cancer Center

Promising study may lead to potential new therapeutics for women facing triple-negative breast cancer

Study finds EUS associated with improved outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic cancer

Calithera Biosciences completes Series A financing totaling $40M

Idera announces issuance of patents for synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to TLRs

EUSA grants Ohara Japanese rights to Erwinase oncology therapy

Heart patients treated for lymphoma at increased risk of cardiac problems

64-year-old female Latin American receives Elekta VMAT radiotherapy enhanced with Monaco planning software

HL patients with heart disease at increased risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after treatment

Proton Therapy USA, CareCapital form Proton Therapy Global Management

Lab Matters host Harriet Gould on building a more connected lab community

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

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