Radiotherapy News and Research

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Radiation therapy (in North America), or radiotherapy (in the UK and Australia) also called radiation oncology, and sometimes abbreviated to XRT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis).

Cancer treatments alter the landscape of genetic mutations in healthy body tissues

Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, give a growth advantage to cells with particular genetic changes in healthy tissue, new research finds.

11 Sep 2026

New treatment approach preserves organs, improves survival in head and neck cancer patients

Patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) whose tumors responded to neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (ICT) and who underwent less extensive surgery had high disease-free survival and organ preservation rates.

10 Sep 2026

Tumor environments sculpt diverse natural killer cells for cancer therapies

For decades, natural killer (NK) cells have been classified into two main groups based on surface markers: one specialized for cytokine production and the other for direct killing.

4 Sep 2026

Newly developed radiotheranostic pair identifies and treats renal tumors

A newly developed radiotheranostic pair, 68Ga/177Lu-NYM096, can identify tumors and effectively deliver targeted radiotherapy to patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

28 Aug 2026

New injectable microgel system delivers precise radiation to keloids

Researchers in Korea are developing a new approach to localized brachytherapy that could improve the treatment of keloid scars.

27 Aug 2026

Protecting the thymus may improve lung cancer treatment outcomes

Building on recent discoveries about the adult thymus, Mass General Brigham investigators used artificial intelligence to show that incidental radiation exposure to the thymus may influence outcomes in patients with lung cancer.

25 Aug 2026

Study links thymus radiation to worse lung cancer outcomes

Until recently, the thymus was thought to be of little use beyond puberty, but new research has shown that radiation to the organ is associated with worse outcomes in patients being treated for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

25 Aug 2026

SBRT improves bowel health related quality-of-life in patients with localized intermediate-risk prostate cancer

Results of the NRG Oncology NRG-GU005 clinical study comparing stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to moderately hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (MH-IMRT) for patients with localized intermediate risk prostate cancer indicate that the use of SBRT improved bowel health related quality of life (HRQOL) in this patient population.

25 Aug 2026

Review outlines key strategies to reduce gynecologic cancer-related mortality

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate burden of gynecologic malignancies-cancers of the cervix, endometrium, ovary, vagina, and vulva.

24 Aug 2026

Glioma microenvironment emerges as key target for future therapies

The prognosis for glioma patients remains extremely poor despite aggressive multimodal standard therapy: maximal safe resection, radiotherapy, and temozolomide chemotherapy, with median survival rarely exceeding 15 to 18 months.

20 Aug 2026

New ASTRO guidelines optimize radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer

An updated clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of radiation therapy to treat adult patients with pancreatic cancer.

13 Aug 2026

Bacterial extracellular vesicles show potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment

Bacteria shed membrane-enclosed tiny particles filled with proteins, lipids, DNA, RNA and metabolites. These particles, commonly known as bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs), are now being explored as possible tools for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

13 Aug 2026

Cannabis compounds may weaken glioblastoma response to chemotherapy and radiation

Several cannabinoids reduced chemotherapy- and radiation-induced apoptosis in glioblastoma cell models, with effects linked to reduced apoptotic priming, increased pro-survival signaling, and G1 cell-cycle arrest. The findings raise concern that cannabinoid exposure could interfere with some cancer treatments, although the results are limited to laboratory models and require in vivo and clinical validation.

12 Aug 2026

New drug delivers promising survival gains in pancreatic cancer

About 90% of people with pancreatic cancer have pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is driven by an activating mutation in the KRAS gene.

9 Aug 2026

Integrated nanomaterials offer new strategies for cancer immunotherapy

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines and cellular therapies have reshaped oncology, yet most patients still do not achieve lasting benefit.

9 Aug 2026

Two-gene interaction reveals metastatic risk in breast cancer

Why do some breast cancer patients face a much higher risk of distant metastasis, while others with seemingly similar disease experience far better outcomes?

7 Aug 2026

Growth hormone therapy improves height after childhood stem cell transplants

Growth impairment is a common late effect of childhood stem cell transplantation. A Japan-wide study found that growth hormone therapy improves adult height, but prior radiation therapy and transplant-related complications negatively affect how much children benefit.

7 Aug 2026