Brachytherapy News and Research

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Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the use of radioactive seeds the size of rice grains. Brachytherapy, an out-patient procedure, usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to perform. Most patients can return to their normal activities within days. The success rates of prostate brachytherapy have compared favorably with success rates of radical prostatectomy and external beam radiation. In comparison studies, prostate brachytherapy has shown to have a favorable side effect profile when compared with other modalities. Clinical studies have shown that prostate brachytherapy has a cure rate of 94% for appropriately selected patients.

Researchers develop gLQ Model to determine optimal dose level, treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies

There is yet no straightforward way to determine the optimal dose level and treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies such as stereotactic radiation therapy, used to treat brain and lung cancer, or for high-dose brachytherapy for prostate and other cancers.Radiation oncologists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute may have solved the problem by developing a new mathematical model that encompasses all dose levels.

3 Sep 2010

Leon-Berard Cancer Center to install CyberKnife VSI System

Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, today announced that the first CyberKnife VSI System to be installed in Europe was placed at the Leon-Berard Cancer Multidisciplinary Center in Lyon, France. The CyberKnife VSI System is the newest addition to the CyberKnife product family.

2 Sep 2010

InSightec's ExAblate Robotic Acoustic Surgery system used for prostate cancer treatment

InSightec Ltd., the global leader in MR guided focused ultrasound technology and the only company to receive FDA approval for its ExAblate(R) system for treating uterine fibroids, announced today that its ExAblate(R) system has been used for the first time for the treatment of prostate cancer patients.

31 Aug 2010

First time use of ExAblate MR Guided Focused Ultrasound System for prostate cancer treatment

Elbit Imaging Ltd. that it's subsidiary, InSightec Ltd., the global leader in MR guided focused ultrasound technology and the only company to receive FDA approval for its ExAblate(R) system for treating uterine fibroids, announced today that its ExAblate(R) system has been used for the first time for the treatment of prostate cancer patients.

31 Aug 2010

Researcher develops new plaque brachytherapy technique to treat eye cancer

Rare but devastating, eye cancer can strike anyone at any time and treating it often requires radiation that leaves half of all patients partially blind.But a new technique developed by Scott Oliver, MD, assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, may change all that.

30 Aug 2010

Varian Medical Systems enters $225M accelerated share repurchase agreement with Bank of America

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Bank of America N.A. to repurchase $225 million of its common stock under an accelerated share repurchase program. Concurrently, the company amended its revolving credit facility with Bank of America N.A. to increase its borrowing capacity from $150 million to $225 million.

25 Aug 2010

Varian to showcase new Gated RapidArc technology at 2010 CHINA-HOSPEQ exhibition

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. will showcase the company's new Gated RapidArc technology on its Trilogy® machine with advanced motion management capabilities at the 2010 CHINA-HOSPEQ exhibition being held in Beijing August 19-21 by China's Ministry of Health. Varian, the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer and a premier supplier of X-ray imaging technology, will also exhibit its software for planning and for managing radiation therapy treatments.

18 Aug 2010

Theragenics reports consolidated revenue of $20.8M for second-quarter 2010

Theragenics Corporation, a medical device company serving the surgical products and prostate cancer treatment markets, today announced consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Varian Medical Systems board authorizes additional 8 million common stock repurchase program

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase an additional 8 million shares of its common stock during a period commencing immediately and extending through September 30, 2011. Stock repurchases will be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, or in Rule 10b5-1 share repurchase plans, and may be made from time to time or in one or more larger blocks.

9 Aug 2010

Surgery offers high survival rate for prostate cancer patients: Study

Surgery for localized prostate cancer offers a significantly higher survival rate than either external-beam radiation or hormonal therapies, according to a new study led by researchers at UCSF.The differences among therapies were more prominent at higher levels of cancer risk, and suggest, the researchers say, that in many cases surgery should play a greater role in treatment strategies for patients with prostate cancer that is likely to recur or spread.

7 Aug 2010

NYU Langone opens vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy trial to men with localized prostate cancer

NYU Langone Medical Center has begun a clinical trial offering vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy to patients with localized prostate cancer. This novel, minimally invasive procedure uses a light-activated drug to deliver light energy waves by way of laser fibers in order to destroy prostate cancer cells.

28 Jul 2010

Hybrid Linac-MR imaging system tracks cancer tumors in real time

Today, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) in Philadelphia, a group of researchers from Stanford University will describe the latest developments toward their goal of integrating two existing medical devices -- medical linear accelerators, or "linacs," which produce powerful X-rays for treating cancer, and magnetic resonance imagers (MRIs), which are widely used to image tumors in the human body.

21 Jul 2010

John Theurer Cancer Center to acquire TrueBeam system for treating cancer patients

In a promising development for cancer patients in New Jersey and surrounding areas, the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center announced today that it will be the first cancer center in New Jersey to acquire an innovative system that enables a radically different approach to treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy known as the TrueBeam- system.

20 Jul 2010

Three different methods for accurately measuring breast density

Two new studies announced this week have tested three different methods for accurately measuring breast density -- the relative portion of tissue to fat in a woman's breasts and a strong indicator of breast cancer risk.

19 Jul 2010

An overview of AAPM annual meeting

AAPM is the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology. Its membership includes medical physicists who specialize in research that develops cutting-edge technologies and board-certified clinical medical physicists who apply these technologies in community hospitals, clinics, and academic medical centers.

16 Jul 2010

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Next week the city of Philadelphia will host the 52nd annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology.

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

Varian adopts Varicent for administering Sales Performance Management needs

Varicent Software Incorporated, the leading innovator in incentive compensation (ICM) and sales performance management (SPM) solutions, announced today that a business unit within Varian Medical Systems, the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions, has selected Varicent for administering its complex sales incentive compensation plans and sales performance management activities.

14 Jul 2010

Oncura signs distribution agreement with Theragenics for palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds

ONCURA, a business unit of GE Healthcare and global leader in the minimally invasive permanent prostate brachytherapy management of prostate cancer, has announced that it has signed an agreement to distribute Theragenics Corporation TheraSeed(R) palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds.

14 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

Brachytherapy News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers develop gLQ Model to determine optimal dose level, treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies

Leon-Berard Cancer Center to install CyberKnife VSI System

InSightec's ExAblate Robotic Acoustic Surgery system used for prostate cancer treatment

First time use of ExAblate MR Guided Focused Ultrasound System for prostate cancer treatment

Researcher develops new plaque brachytherapy technique to treat eye cancer

Varian Medical Systems enters $225M accelerated share repurchase agreement with Bank of America

Varian to showcase new Gated RapidArc technology at 2010 CHINA-HOSPEQ exhibition

Theragenics reports consolidated revenue of $20.8M for second-quarter 2010

Varian Medical Systems board authorizes additional 8 million common stock repurchase program

Surgery offers high survival rate for prostate cancer patients: Study

NYU Langone opens vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy trial to men with localized prostate cancer

Hybrid Linac-MR imaging system tracks cancer tumors in real time

John Theurer Cancer Center to acquire TrueBeam system for treating cancer patients

Three different methods for accurately measuring breast density

An overview of AAPM annual meeting

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Premier, Xoft execute group purchasing contract

Varian adopts Varicent for administering Sales Performance Management needs

Oncura signs distribution agreement with Theragenics for palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds

Highlights of AAPM 52nd meeting

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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