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.

Additional biopsy-scoring data may help determine prostate cancer prognosis

Men with certain scores and patterns based on prostate cancer biopsy were found to be at higher risk of PSA-failure, suggesting that this measurement could help predict the risk of prostate cancer recurrence, according to preliminary research published in the October 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Oct 2007

Breast health and cancer prevention tips for women and men

In addition to the bright reds, oranges and yellows seen as the leaves turn this fall, pink will be everywhere during October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

2 Oct 2007

Breast cancer screening

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center encourage women to learn about recommended screening guidelines to improve their chances for early detection of breast cancer.

2 Oct 2007

Taxotere (docetaxel) granted FDA approval to treat locally advanced head and neck cancer prior to chemo and surgery

Sanofi-aventis announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for induction therapy of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) before patients undergo chemoradiotherapy and surgery.

2 Oct 2007

Pregnancy after breast cancer is possible

Once Alyssa Tushman knew her young son would not grow up motherless, her next question was whether he would be an only child.

2 Oct 2007

New chemotherapy regimen prolongs survival in difficult-to-treat childhood brainstem gliomas

Childhood brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are rare but can be very difficult to treat successfully and they tend to have poor survival rates.

26 Sep 2007

Vaginal brachytherapy improves quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer

Quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer can be significantly improved by the use of vaginal brachytherapy, where radiotherapy is delivered internally using a vaginal cylinder, the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

25 Sep 2007

European directive will halt use of MRI scans; cancer diagnosis and treatment will suffer

Implementation of the Physical Agents (Electromagnetic Fields) Directive 2004/40/EC in all Member States could effectively halt the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an important tool in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and research, a scientist told a press conference at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) (Monday September 24).

25 Sep 2007

Internal radiotherapy better than external for quality of life in endometrial cancer patients

24 Sep 2007

Teal-time system plants 'seeds' against cancer

Radiation oncologists and urologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia have begun using a real-time system to implant radiation-emitting seeds in prostate cancer patients.

24 Sep 2007

Stereotactic body radiation therapy reduces length of prostate cancer treatment

Breihan Bridgewater suffers from emphysema. He sleeps on his side because when he lays flat on his back it feels like there's a boulder resting on his chest.

20 Sep 2007

Positron emission tomography reliably identifies dangerous cervical tumors

It doesn't matter how small or large it is, if a cervical tumor glows brightly in a PET scan, it's apt to be more dangerous than dimmer tumors.

13 Sep 2007

Some with breast cancer stop taking aromatase inhibitors because of joint and muscle pain

More than 10 percent of women with breast cancer stopped taking a commonly prescribed drug because of joint and muscle pain, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

10 Sep 2007

Radiation and drug combo helps boost efficacy of lung-cancer treatment

Combining radiation therapy with a drug that helps destroy blood vessels nourishing malignant tumors has been shown in mice to be significantly more effective in treating lung cancer than either approach alone, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

5 Sep 2007

Exercise and yoga improves quality of life in women with early-stage breast cancer

Two studies report that exercise and yoga can help maintain and in some cases improve quality of life in women with early-stage breast cancer.

5 Sep 2007

Radiation and drug combo helps boost efficacy of lung cancer treatment

3 Sep 2007

FDA approves Somatuline Depot to treat acromegaly

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate injection) for the treatment of acromegaly, a rare and potentially life threatening disease in adults caused by abnormal secretion of growth hormone (GH), commonly from a benign tumor located in the pituitary gland located in the brain.

30 Aug 2007

New anti-cancer drug made from corn lillies kills brain tumor stem cells

A drug that shuts down a critical cell-signaling pathway in the most common and aggressive type of adult brain cancer successfully kills cancer stem cells thought to fuel tumor growth and help cancers evade drug and radiation therapy, a Johns Hopkins study shows.

30 Aug 2007

IBA agrees to pay $1.25 million to settle lawsuit alleging it infringed Optivus' patents

Optivus Proton Therapy has announced that Belgium-based IBA has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit alleging IBA infringed on three Optivus proton therapy patents.

21 Aug 2007

Prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell lung cancer significantly increases survival

Prophylactic cranial irradiation after chemotherapy significantly reduces the risk of brain metastasis and doubles one-year survival in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to the results of the multicenter phase III randomized EORTC trial 08993-22993, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

17 Aug 2007

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Additional biopsy-scoring data may help determine prostate cancer prognosis

Breast health and cancer prevention tips for women and men

Breast cancer screening

Taxotere (docetaxel) granted FDA approval to treat locally advanced head and neck cancer prior to chemo and surgery

Pregnancy after breast cancer is possible

New chemotherapy regimen prolongs survival in difficult-to-treat childhood brainstem gliomas

Vaginal brachytherapy improves quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer

European directive will halt use of MRI scans; cancer diagnosis and treatment will suffer

Internal radiotherapy better than external for quality of life in endometrial cancer patients

Teal-time system plants 'seeds' against cancer

Stereotactic body radiation therapy reduces length of prostate cancer treatment

Positron emission tomography reliably identifies dangerous cervical tumors

Some with breast cancer stop taking aromatase inhibitors because of joint and muscle pain

Radiation and drug combo helps boost efficacy of lung-cancer treatment

Exercise and yoga improves quality of life in women with early-stage breast cancer

Radiation and drug combo helps boost efficacy of lung cancer treatment

FDA approves Somatuline Depot to treat acromegaly

New anti-cancer drug made from corn lillies kills brain tumor stem cells

IBA agrees to pay $1.25 million to settle lawsuit alleging it infringed Optivus' patents

Prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell lung cancer significantly increases survival

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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