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.

EUSA Pharma's PROSTASCINT effective in guiding targeted prostate cancer treatment

EUSA Pharma announced that PROSTASCINT® (capromab pendetide) fusion imaging was shown to effectively guide prostate cancer therapy targeting and dosing and is a significant predictor of disease free survival, according to data presented on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at the 51st American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

4 Nov 2009

AAPM Task Group issues new radiation guidelines for brachytherapy

Radiation dose delivered to the prostate and nearby organs in every brachytherapy procedure should be carefully analyzed using post-implant CT or MRI and uniformly documented in every patient, according to a new guideline co-authored by Yan Yu, Ph.D., director of Medical Physics in the department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University.

3 Nov 2009

GE Healthcare to showcase its sophisticated imaging systems for oncology at the ASTRO meeting

According to the American Cancer Society, more than one million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. In the United States, about 1 out of every 2 men and 1 out of every 3 women will have some type of cancer at some point during their lifetime. The sooner a cancer is detected and treatment begins, the better the patient’s chances for survival.

31 Oct 2009

Cancer patients in northern Portugal to gain access to advanced cancer treatments

Cancer patients in northern Portugal will gain access to advanced cancer treatments with the acquisition of seven new treatments machines from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) by the Instituto Portugues Oncologia, IPO Porto.

30 Oct 2009

TomoTherapy radiation therapy platform to be presented at the ASTRO Annual Meeting

TomoTherapy Incorporated announced today that several clinical presentations at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting -- November 1-5, 2009 in Chicago -- will showcase the use of the TomoTherapy® radiation therapy platform as a vital component in the combined modality approach to treating cancer.

30 Oct 2009

Varian Medical Systems to showcase future technologies for managing cancer at the ASTRO

New technology enhancements from Varian Medical Systems, designed to make radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments faster, more accurate, and easier to plan and deliver, will be on display at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Chicago next week.

29 Oct 2009

World’s first Cesium-131 lung implants performed

IsoRay, Inc. announced today that starting on August 12, 2009, Dr. Bhupesh Parashar from the Department of Radiation Oncology, and Dr. Nasser Altorki of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center performed the world’s first Cesium-131 lung implants.

29 Oct 2009

First nationwide Prostate Cancer registry for identifying effective treatment options

RemedyMD (www.RemedyMD.com), the leading provider of Patient registry software, today announced the first nationwide Prostate Cancer registry to help clinicians and researchers identify which interventions are most appropriate for specific patient populations.

28 Oct 2009

Yashoda Cancer Institute in India to expand use of Varian Medical Systems' RapidArc radiotherapy

A hospital that is using RapidArc radiotherapy to treat cancers of the head & neck and cervix is announcing it will be expanding its use for treatment of other cancers. Yashoda Cancer Institute in Hyderabad has found it can deliver image-guided, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) faster and more precisely using the RapidArc technology from Varian Medical Systems.

19 Oct 2009

Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital commences treatment with the Novalis Tx radiosurgery platform

Doctors in Latvia have begun treatments using the region's first Novalis Tx(TM) radiosurgery platform from Varian Medical Systems and BrainLAB. Two prostate cancer patients have been treated using Varian's RapidArc® radiotherapy technology at the Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital.

14 Oct 2009

Xoft to showcase a variety of investigational IORT oncology applications at ACS Annual Congress

Clinical experience with the FDA cleared Axxent® Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx(TM), System from Xoft shows promise for the multi-disciplinary use of the isotope-free cancer treatment platform to deliver intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). Xoft will showcase a variety of investigational IORT oncology applications at the American College of Surgeons 95th Annual Clinical Congress here in Chicago, October 11-15, 2009.

12 Oct 2009

HealthHelp to provide radiation oncology management on national scale

With cancer’s incidence and treatment costs rising, HealthHelp has become the first company to provide radiation oncology management on a national scale. Approximately 4 million Humana patients in 46 states will benefit from this innovative new program.

9 Oct 2009

American Shared Hospital Services updates on Todd Cancer Institute's proton therapy center development

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, today shared a recent announcement regarding progress in the development of a proton therapy center at Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

8 Oct 2009

IMRISNV and IMRIScardio to be installed in BWH's AMIGO suite

IMRIS Inc. ("IMRIS" or the "Company") and Brigham and Women's Hospital, ("BWH") today announced a comprehensive agreement in support of BWH's vision of bringing the most advanced multi-modality image guided therapy suite in the world to its facility in Boston, Massachusetts.

3 Oct 2009

Todd Cancer Institute granted approval for constructing proton therapy center

The Todd Cancer Institute (TCI) at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (LBMMC) and Miller Children’s Hospital (MCH) today announced it has been granted approval to proceed with the architecture and engineering for its proton therapy center, becoming one of only 13 centers in the country currently planning for a compact unit.

1 Oct 2009

World’s first Cesium-131 implant for recurrent head and neck cancer performed

IsoRay, Inc. (Amex: ISR) announced today that on August 5, 2009, Dr. Bhupesh Parashar from the Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr. David Kutler of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, and Dr. Jason Spector of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center performed the world’s first Cesium-131 implant for a recurrent head and neck cancer (buccal mucosa).

28 Sep 2009

Advanced radiosurgery technology utilized by Cyberknife for effective cancer treatment

Cyberknife of Long Island has become the first cancer center in New York to treat tumors with the most advanced radiosurgery technology available to date.

17 Sep 2009

Premion commences cancer treatment with Varian's RapidArc radiotherapy technology

Cancer patients in Australia have gained access to advanced RapidArc(R) radiotherapy treatments from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) with its introduction by the leading radiation oncology provider in Queensland. Premion, which operates five cancer centers in Queensland, has treated more than a dozen prostate cancer patients to date with this fast, precise and efficient technique at its Chermside treatment center in Brisbane.

16 Sep 2009

Particle beam radiation therapy for cancer cure is better than traditional radiation method

Particle beam radiation therapy, a technology used to treat several types of cancer, is considered by some clinicians to be better than traditional radiation, but there is limited evidence about its safety compared with other types of radiation therapy, according to a new comparative effectiveness report funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

15 Sep 2009

Lack of awareness in aged men reagarding prostate cancer treatment options

Prostate cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States. In fact, one in six men will develop prostate cancer. It is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. But a recent survey suggests that many men at risk for the cancer still aren't aware of all available treatment options.

10 Sep 2009