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.

New trial targets kidney cancer drug sorafenib in bladder cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, 69,000 cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed nationwide last year with some 2,600 new cases in New Jersey.

16 Feb 2009

Guidance for evaluating menopause-like condition in girls and young women

A comprehensive plan to help health care professionals diagnose and treat primary ovarian insufficiency-a menopause-like condition affecting girls and young women that may occur years before normal menopause is expected-has been developed by a scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

5 Feb 2009

Deficiencies common in radiation therapy trial reports for Hodgkin's, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Reporting of radiation therapy details in randomized controlled trials for Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is deficient due to a lack of reporting of key radiation therapy descriptors and quality assurance processes designed to ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of treatment regimens, according to a February 1 study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

5 Feb 2009

19 percent of breast cancer patients don't receive recommended radiation after mastectomy

One-fifth of women who should receive radiation after a mastectomy are not getting this potentially lifesaving treatment, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3 Feb 2009

Many women who survived childhood cancer do not undergo recommended breast cancer screening

Despite recommendations and being at an increased risk of breast cancer, most young women who were treated with chest radiation for a childhood cancer do not undergo appropriate mammography screening, according to a study in the January 28 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

29 Jan 2009

Researchers show how anthracycline class of chemotherapeutics block blood vessel growth, slow cancer spread

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered how a whole class of commonly used chemotherapy drugs can block cancer growth.

21 Jan 2009

First-degree family history of prostate cancer does not affect some treatment outcomes

In a first of its kind study, a first-degree family history of prostate cancer has no impact on the treatment outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy (also called seed implants), and patients with this type of family history have clinical and pathologic characteristics similar to men with no family history at all, according to a January 1 study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics , the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

5 Jan 2009

FDA approves injectable drug degarelix for advanced prostate cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the injectable drug degarelix, the first new drug in several years for prostate cancer.

29 Dec 2008

Physicians perform rare surgery to restore hearing to a deaf patient

Marisela Leon, 44, has neurofibromatosis type 2 -- a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves in the brain or spinal cord, but most commonly on the auditory nerve. Leon lost her hearing more than four years ago when surgery to remove a tumor damaged her auditory nerve.

22 Dec 2008

Trial looks at high intensity focused ultrasound for locally recurrent prostate cancer

A Phase III clinical trial at New York University is investigating the safety and efficacy of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of locally recurrent prostate cancer following failed external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) using the Sonablate(R) 500.

22 Dec 2008

FDA approves Mozobil (plerixafor) for multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Mozobil (plerixafor), a drug that helps increase the number of blood stem cells for bone marrow transplantation in patients with certain forms of blood cancer.

18 Dec 2008

UC Davis team refines cancer treatments to reduce potential nerve damage

While radiation treatments deliver precise doses of high-energy X-rays to stop cancer cells from spreading or to shrink tumors, oncologists have become increasingly concerned about inadvertent exposures during head and neck cancer treatments to nerves responsible for upper body mobility.

15 Dec 2008

Trial looks at new treatment for solid cancer tumors and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have opened a clinical trial, which aims to evaluate a new treatment for solid cancer tumors and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in combination with a chemotherapy agent called cyclophosphamide.

12 Dec 2008

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer does not appear to increase cardiac deaths

Treating prostate cancer patients with drugs that block hormonal activity does not appear to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers.

10 Dec 2008

FDA grants compassionate case for use of novel wet age-related macular degeneration treatment

NeoVista, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the company's "compassionate case" waiver to utilize its novel wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment on a patient with an advanced form of the disease who did not meet criteria for inclusion into current NeoVista investigational treatment protocols.

10 Dec 2008

UK's first prostate cancer patient treated using RapidArc radiotherapy

65-year-old grandfather of six, Graham McCormack has become the first cancer patient in the UK to be treated using RapidArc radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems.

10 Dec 2008

Effects of stem cell source and patient age on stem cell transplantation outcomes

Two studies examining the effects of stem cell source and patient age on stem cell transplantation outcomes were explored at a press conference on Sunday, December 7 during the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Francisco, CA.

8 Dec 2008

Best treatments found for long-term survival in low-grade gliomas

A new Mayo Clinic study found that patients with low-grade gliomas survived longest when they underwent aggressive surgeries to successfully remove the entire tumor.

3 Dec 2008

Preoperative radiation may improve survival rates in advanced rectal cancer patients

Patients treated with radiation prior to surgery for advanced rectal cancer have fewer instances of cancer recurrence and better overall survival rates, according to a recent Geisinger report.

3 Dec 2008

Breast cancer treatment offers better outcome to women with implants

Women with early-stage breast cancer who have undergone breast augmentation may be treated successfully with a partial-breast radiation treatment called brachytherapy, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2008

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

New trial targets kidney cancer drug sorafenib in bladder cancer

Guidance for evaluating menopause-like condition in girls and young women

Deficiencies common in radiation therapy trial reports for Hodgkin's, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

19 percent of breast cancer patients don't receive recommended radiation after mastectomy

Many women who survived childhood cancer do not undergo recommended breast cancer screening

Researchers show how anthracycline class of chemotherapeutics block blood vessel growth, slow cancer spread

First-degree family history of prostate cancer does not affect some treatment outcomes

FDA approves injectable drug degarelix for advanced prostate cancer

Physicians perform rare surgery to restore hearing to a deaf patient

Trial looks at high intensity focused ultrasound for locally recurrent prostate cancer

FDA approves Mozobil (plerixafor) for multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

UC Davis team refines cancer treatments to reduce potential nerve damage

Trial looks at new treatment for solid cancer tumors and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer does not appear to increase cardiac deaths

FDA grants compassionate case for use of novel wet age-related macular degeneration treatment

UK's first prostate cancer patient treated using RapidArc radiotherapy

Effects of stem cell source and patient age on stem cell transplantation outcomes

Best treatments found for long-term survival in low-grade gliomas

Preoperative radiation may improve survival rates in advanced rectal cancer patients

Breast cancer treatment offers better outcome to women with implants

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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