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.

Good news for women who choose mastectomy over lumpectomy

Radiation therapy after lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer can be safely delivered in higher daily doses to greatly reduce treatment time.

30 May 2007

High pretreatment PSA velocity predicts worse outcome

The most significant single predictor of aggressive prostate cancer is an elevated rate of increase in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, according to a new study.

28 May 2007

Study identifies patients' reasons for quitting jobs after treatment for head and neck cancer

After treatment, 38.1 percent of patients with head and neck cancer who were employed at the time of cancer diagnosis reported discontinuing work because of their cancer and treatment, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

22 May 2007

Some NSAIDs may be better suited to treating cancer

Until recently, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and celecoxib (sold as Celebrex), were being hailed as promising cancer prevention drugs.

18 May 2007

Researchers create agent that protects cells from the lethal effects of radiation

No drugs exist to protect the public from the high levels of radiation that could be released by a "dirty" bomb or nuclear explosion.

9 May 2007

VCU to develop new form of radiation therapy

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a five-year, $10.7 million grant to Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers to develop a new form of radiation therapy that will enable the safe administration of more aggressive cancer treatments.

9 May 2007

MR imaging helps predict recurrence in prostate cancer patients

MR images taken of prostate cancer patients prior to treatment that show that the cancer has spread outside the prostate gland capsule help predict whether the cancer will return, according to a recent study conducted by radiologists at the University of California-San Francisco.

8 May 2007

Radiation for breast cancer not likely to increase heart attack risk

In 1973, two researchers published an article in the journal Lab Investigation saying that radiation to the breast area might damage the capillaries and restrict blood flow to the heart.

4 May 2007

Prostate cancer treatments impact on quality of life

A rigorous, long-term study of quality of life in patients who underwent one of the three most common treatments for prostate cancer found that each affected men's lives in different ways.

24 Apr 2007

Long-term study of prostate cancer treatments

A rigorous, long-term study of quality of life in patients who underwent one of the three most common treatments for prostate cancer found that each affected men's lives in different ways.

24 Apr 2007

Pharmacyclics announces NDA for Xcytrin injection

Pharmacyclics, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has filed the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for Xcytrin (motexafin gadolinium) Injection.

24 Apr 2007

Prostate cancer treatment decisions can be complicated

For many men with early-stage prostate cancer, sorting out the treatment options can be overwhelming.

20 Apr 2007

Viventia Biotech announces results of Proxinium antibody in combinaton with chemotherapy and radiation

Viventia Biotech has announced results of in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies conducted to evaluate the potential for combining its phase III anti-cancer antibody therapeutic, Proxinium, with first-line standard of care therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head & neck (SCCHN).

19 Apr 2007