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.

New study shows SAVI radiation therapy controls rate of breast cancer

A new study of breast cancer patients at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center and the Arizona Oncology Services shows that after almost two years, the radiation given with the Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant controls the rate of cancer and may reduce the complications seen with alternate types of brachytherapy.

13 Jul 2010

Theragenics signs supply agreement with Oncura for TheraSeed palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds

Theragenics Corporation, a medical device company serving the surgical products and prostate cancer treatment markets, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Oncura, Inc. for the distribution of TheraSeed® palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds. Oncura is a unit of GE Healthcare. Under the terms of the agreement, Theragenics will be the exclusive palladium-103 seed supplier to Oncura, subject to certain pre-existing vendor agreements, for the treatment of prostate cancer in the U.S. and Canada.

12 Jul 2010

Varian, Brainlab expand partnership to incorporate Novalis technology with TrueBeam STx system

Varian Medical Systems and Brainlab today announced the expansion of their partnership to incorporate Novalis technology and other Novalis Radiosurgery Program elements with the recently launched TrueBeam STx system. The expanded suite of products will be badged "Novalis powered by TrueBeam STx."

1 Jul 2010

Hoag Hospital launches IORT program for breast cancer treatment

Hoag Hospital announced the launch of its Intraoperative Radiation Therapy program as part of its progressive, comprehensive approach to breast cancer treatment. IORT is a radiation therapy technique in which a concentrated dose of radiation is delivered to a cancerous tumor site during surgery after the tumor is removed. Hoag Hospital is the first in Orange County to offer IORT brachytherapy for breast cancer as a component of a definitive treatment approach.

24 Jun 2010

IsoRay, Hologic complete exclusive worldwide distribution agreement for GliaSite radiation therapy system

IsoRay, Inc. announced today that it has completed a license agreement with Hologic, Inc. for exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the GliaSite® radiation therapy system, the world's only FDA-cleared balloon catheter device used in the treatment of brain cancer. The system's balloon catheter is a landmark technology that allows physicians to treat more patients than ever before with brachytherapy or internal radiation and provides important benefits over other radiation treatment options.

From Hologic, Inc. 23 Jun 2010

Optimum radiation dose on same day as brachytherapy implant can control prostate cancer

Ensuring the optimum radiation dose on the same day as the brachytherapy implant in prostate cancer treatment manages to control the illness in about 95% of the cases. This is the result of research undertaken at the University Hospital of Navarre and published in the latest issue of Brachytherapy, journal of the American Society of Brachytherapy.

23 Jun 2010

Al Amal Hospital in Qatar commences treatment with Varian's RapidArc radiotherapy

One of the leading cancer centers in the Middle East has become among the first in the region to introduce fast and efficient RapidArc® radiotherapy treatments from Varian Medical Systems. Al Amal Hospital in Doha, Qatar, has treated nine brain cancer, prostate cancer and head & neck cancer patients with RapidArc since commencing treatments in early May, and it now plans to roll out the technology for many more indications.

21 Jun 2010

Nineteen facilities named Centers of Excellence in APBI for use of SAVI applicator

Nineteen facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region have been named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation for their use of the SAVI applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

17 Jun 2010

Fortis International Oncology Centre equipped with Varian's advanced radiotherapy equipment

The first in a planned series of new radiotherapy centers aimed at improving access to advanced treatments for millions of Indian cancer patients has been officially opened in Noida. Fortis International Oncology Centre, a joint initiative between International Oncology and Fortis Healthcare, is equipped with advanced radiotherapy equipment and software from Varian Medical Systems.

16 Jun 2010

Xoft reports clinical benefits of isotope-free electronic radiation therapy for treatment of cancer

The clinical benefits of isotope-free electronic radiation therapy delivered directly to cancer sites with minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue continues to be substantiated by multiple publications, according to Xoft, Inc., developer of the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx System. The leading provider of FDA-cleared Electronic Brachytherapy Systems, Xoft provides systems for single-dose intraoperative radiation therapy and accelerated brachytherapy applications.

15 Jun 2010

22 Midwest facilities named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation

Twenty-two facilities in the Midwest have been named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for their use of the SAVI® applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

10 Jun 2010

GE Healthcare to present anti-[18F]FACBC phase 1 study results at Society of Nuclear Medicine annual meeting

GE Healthcare, a unit of the General Electric Company, today will present results of a phase 1 study of anti-[18F]FACBC at the 57th annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah. The presentation closely follows the launch of the phase 2 clinical development program for anti-[18F]FACBC, which was initially discovered and developed by Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and was licensed to Nihon Medi-Physics Co., Ltd. (NMP) of Japan.

9 Jun 2010

Nine facilities in northern California region named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation

Nine facilities in the northern California region have been named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for their use of the SAVI® applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

20 May 2010

Varian Medical Systems launches fully-integrated ProBeam proton therapy system at 2010 PT-COG

Varian Medical Systems is introducing the fully-integrated ProBeam™ proton therapy system at the 2010 Particle Therapy Co-operative Group (PT-COG) meeting here this week. The ProBeam system incorporates imaging, gating, robotic patient positioning, treatment planning and oncology information software to enhance treatment quality for patients and workflow efficiency for clinicians.

18 May 2010

Swedish Cancer Institute, Elekta renew partnership to continue flow of technology, services to cancer patients

Swedish Cancer Institute and Elekta launch renewed partnership agreement to continue the flow of world-class technology, services to cancer patients in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

From Elekta 6 May 2010

Three Hamilton scientists receive cancer research grants from Canadian Cancer Society

Three Hamilton scientists are receiving new funding from the Canadian Cancer Society for their work in innovative cancer research.

5 May 2010

Theragenics reports highest quarterly consolidated revenue of $20.3 million

Theragenics Corporation®, a medical device company serving the surgical products and prostate cancer treatment markets, today announced consolidated financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

4 May 2010

SBRT shows promise in treatment of lung, liver and spinal tumors: Clinical experts

Radiosurgical approaches to cancer treatment are showing promise in the treatment of lung, liver, and spinal tumors, according to four leading clinical experts who presented at a symposium in New York earlier this month.

28 Apr 2010

ASTRO President speaks on radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer at MEDCAC meeting

ASTRO President Anthony Zietman, M.D., spoke before the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee meeting today on radiation therapy for treatment of localized prostate cancer. MEDCAC provides advice and recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for what is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, based on scientific evidence.

22 Apr 2010

University Hospital of Zurich treats cancer patients with Varian Medical Systems' TrueBeam system

The University Hospital of Zurich has become the first medical center in the world to commence treating cancer patients with the revolutionary TrueBeam system from Varian Medical Systems, a new platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery that was designed from the ground up to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and precision.

16 Apr 2010