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.

Shaped-beam radiosurgery treats tiniest lung tumors

Patients with metastatic cancer tumors in their lungs are much more likely to live disease-free if they have an experimental treatment involving shaped-beam radiosurgery rather that conventional treatment, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

8 Nov 2006

New research could affect future treatment options for prostate cancer

Two new studies on the treatment of prostate cancer could well affect future treatment options for patients.

8 Nov 2006

Breast cancer patients may benefit from new accelerated treatment

Women with early-stage breast cancer may benefit from a new, accelerated approach to radiation therapy making their course of treatment shorter, according to a new study released today in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

31 Oct 2006

Sequencing of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for early breast cancer

For women who have had surgery for early breast cancer, it may not matter whether they receive follow-up chemotherapy before, after or during radiation therapy, according to a new review of studies.

30 Oct 2006

New treatment option gives hope to victims of head and neck cancers

More than 640,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year, and more than 350,000 die from the disease annually.

19 Oct 2006

FDA approves Taxotere for head and neck cancers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate for use in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil prior to radiotherapy for the treatment of patients with inoperable, locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

18 Oct 2006

Black people with bladder cancer more likely to die of the disease than white

Black patients with bladder cancer are 35 percent more likely to die of the disease than white patients, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

21 Sep 2006

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois adds coverage for MammoSite

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois after meeting with experts last week has decided to cover the partial-breast radiation therapy known as MammoSite for patients with early stage breast cancer, officials for the insurer said, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois coverage policy for partial-breast radiation therapy to be reviewed

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois' policy that it does not cover partial-breast radiation therapy was scheduled to be reviewed last Wednesday in Dallas during a three-day meeting of Health Care Service Corporation officials, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

New method of gene therapy alters immune cells for treatment of advanced melanoma

A team of researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has demonstrated sustained regression of advanced melanoma in a study of 17 patients by genetically engineering patients' own white blood cells to recognize and attack cancer cells.

4 Sep 2006

Modern radiation therapy ups lung cancer survival

Modern three-dimensional radiation therapy has been proven to be more successful at curing lung cancer than older two-dimensional radiation therapy for some patients with early stage lung cancer, according to a new study.

31 Aug 2006

Seven quality guidelines for breast, colorectal cancer care

The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network on Tuesday released seven quality guidelines for breast and colorectal cancer care, CQ Today reports.

20 Aug 2006

Pomegranate juice may decrease PSA progression in patients with cancer recurrence after treatment

Because of their high content of antioxidants, pomegranate juice is frequently recommended for cancer prevention and overall wellness. While small studies have suggested a role against prostate carcinogenesis, no organized trials have been published until now.

17 Aug 2006

Watch and wait the best option for low-risk prostate cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, 234,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and 27,350 will die from it, but researchers say that as many as half of men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer undergo surgery or radiation therapy unnecessarily.

15 Aug 2006

Cancer patient receives first proton therapy treatment

A Cocoa Beach man with prostate cancer has become the first patient to undergo treatment at the new University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, the first time the most advanced form of radiation therapy available has been offered in the Southeast.

15 Aug 2006

New method of delivering a dose of radioactive iodine

A new method of delivering a dose of radioactive iodine - using a man-made version of scorpion venom as a carrier - targets deadly brain tumors called gliomas without affecting neighboring tissue or body organs.

7 Aug 2006

Do close surgical margins predict if breast cancer will return?

Cancer cells present after additional surgery for breast cancer may predict whether a woman will see her cancer return.

1 Aug 2006

Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy after the surgical removal of cancer in the pancreas improves survival

Patients with pancreatic cancer, a historically difficult-to-treat cancer with poor survival rates, may benefit from treatments studied in an international, multi-center research trial.

26 Jul 2006

Heat sensitivity may make testicular cancer cells more susceptible to standard treatments and die off more readily

Experts at Johns Hopkins have linked scientific evidence spanning more than 30 years to suggest an explanation for why testicular cancer patients like seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong survive far better than patients with other advanced cancers.

26 Jul 2006

Bones rendered more vulnerable following radiation therapy

Researchers have found that mice who were given one therapeutic dose of radiation equal to that received by human cancer patients, lost as much as 39 percent of the spongy portion of their inner bone.

12 Jul 2006