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.

Engineered probiotic bacteria boost immune attack against pancreatic cancer

Cancer immunotherapies have transformed treatment for many cancers, but pancreatic cancer remains especially difficult to treat. One major reason is that pancreatic tumors often create a "cold" tumor microenvironment, where the tumor prevents immune cells from mounting a strong attack.

24 Jul 2026

KAIST study opens a new avenue for treating intractable brain tumors

Researchers have uncovered a clue to why immune checkpoint inhibitors-cancer therapies that release the immune "brakes" exploited by tumors to evade attack-show limited efficacy in some brain tumors.

19 Jul 2026

More than 50 million Americans lack local radiation cancer treatment

The disappearance of radiation oncology clinics threatens cancer care access for over 50 million Americans, with rural areas facing the greatest impact.

15 Jul 2026

Rural radiation oncology clinic closures threaten cancer patient care

A new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that although the overall number of radiation oncology clinics in the United States has appeared stable in recent years, many individual treatment centers have quietly closed while others have opened.

11 Jul 2026

Strategic collaboration funds interdisciplinary projects to improve cancer care

Rice University's Synthesis X Center and Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center have awarded $90,000 in seed grants as part of a new strategic collaboration.

8 Jul 2026

Rare pelvic schwannoma removed with nerve-sparing laparoscopic surgery

Through interdepartmental collaboration, a young woman's quality of life and ability to walk were restored following the laparoscopic removal of a rare, benign tumor of neurological origin in the lesser pelvis, known as a schwannoma (also called a neurinoma).

26 Jun 2026

Preoperative radiation boosts immunotherapy response in brain metastases

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that pre-operative radiation therapy for brain metastases not only targets tumor cells directly but also can activate immune pathways that can make tumors more receptive to immunotherapy.

17 Jun 2026

Apitegromab helps tirzepatide users lose fat while preserving lean mass

A phase 2 trial found that apitegromab plus tirzepatide reduced lean body mass loss by 1.9 kg compared with tirzepatide plus placebo after 24 weeks, while overall weight loss remained similar.

9 Jun 2026

Rice University receives CPRIT funding to advance cancer research

New funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) will help Rice University advance cancer research on several fronts, from strengthening a core genetic engineering facility that serves researchers across Texas to supporting new studies in cancer immunotherapy and ovarian cancer.

8 Jun 2026

AI predicts meningioma recurrence from routine pathology slides

Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have shown that artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze routine pathology slides to help classify meningiomas, the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and predict a patient's risk of tumor recurrence.

7 Jun 2026

New funding supports cutting-edge research to combat cancers across South Texas

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) and its academic health center, UT Health San Antonio, recently received over $2.7 million in new academic and prevention awards from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to further its mission of combating cancers across South Texas.

2 Jun 2026

Implanted collagen tiles double survival for brain metastasis patients

A multicenter clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has found that implanting collagen tiles during brain surgery to deliver targeted radiation therapy dramatically improved tumor control, lowered the risk of recurrence and improved overall survival compared to current standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases in need of surgical resection.

30 May 2026

Pembrolizumab combination therapy improves survival in recurrent endometrial cancer patients

Previously, immature overall survival results of the NRG Oncology GY018 (NRG-GY018) trial suggested that the use of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy improved overall survival for patients with advanced stage or recurrent endometrial cancer when compared to chemotherapy alone.

29 May 2026

NCCN launches a free service for updates on clinical cancer guidelines

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-the nonprofit alliance of leading cancer centers responsible for essential NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) that providers rely on worldwide-has launched a new, free service.

27 May 2026

Researchers discover how overpopulation reduces fertility

Scientists have reported it for decades: Overpopulation can impair reproduction.

21 May 2026

Blood test detects tumor DNA to guide advanced cancer treatment

A blood test that detects tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream may help select the most effective treatment options for cancer patients whose tumors have started to spread, according to one of the largest randomized controlled trials of its kind presented at the Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 2026).

18 May 2026

Targeted radiotherapy may delay progression in metastatic breast cancer patients

Treating breast cancer that has begun to spread around the body with targeted radiotherapy could help patients to live longer without their cancer getting worse, according to the results of a small randomised controlled trial presented at the Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 2026).

17 May 2026

Sequential TACE after SBRT improves outcomes in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

Comparative data on sequential transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of this combination.

13 May 2026

Lab-grown diamonds enable highly-sensitive radiation dose measurements

A team led by researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University, in collaboration with Tohoku University and Orbray Co., Ltd., using heteroepitaxial diamond materials developed by Orbray, have shown that lab-grown diamonds might realize a radiation dosimeter compatible with both medical diagnosis and radiation therapy.

10 May 2026

A new combined therapy to boost the immune system against cancer

Cancer immunotherapy is built on a simple but powerful idea: the immune system can recognize and destroy cancer cells if it is properly activated. In many patients, however, this response is too weak or too slow to be effective.

7 May 2026