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.

One week radiation treatment for breast cancer as effective as standard 6 to 7 week course

A new type of radiation treatment rapidly speeds up treatment for some breast cancer sufferers.

24 Sep 2008

Brachytherapy may benefit obese prostate cancer patients

Brachytherapy, also called seed implants, may be a more beneficial treatment than surgery or external beam radiation therapy for overweight or obese prostate cancer patients, according to a study published in the August issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

19 Aug 2008

FDA approves expansion of NeoVista's phase 3 study for wet AMD

NeoVista, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company's request to expand the number of sites participating in its pivotal Phase 3 trial from 10 to 30 in the United States.

17 Apr 2008

Prostate size and other neglected factors influence prostate cancer treatment satisfaction

Men with prostate cancer and their partners face difficult decisions regarding treatment, and accurate information regarding expected outcomes can be hard to find, according to results of a multi-center study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Mar 2008

New study confirms that PROGENSA PCA3 can improve accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis

New clinical data from a study of 570 men published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Urology support the use of PROGENSA PCA3 as a tool for diagnosing prostate cancer. The study confirms that PROGENSA PCA3, the world's first gene-based urine test to help detect prostate cancer, can provide clinicians with valuable information that helps guide diagnosis.

20 Mar 2008

Many prostate cancer patients receive wrong treatment

Prostate cancer patients often receive treatment that is contraindicated by pre-existing conditions, like urinary or bowel dysfunction, according to a new study.

26 Nov 2007

New device delivers radiation therapy to specific tumor sites

Physicians at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center will present the initial outcomes of their use of a new device that delivers radiation therapy to a specific tumor site at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), November 25-30, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.

19 Nov 2007

Radiation seed implant decreases risk of death over watchful waiting/active surveillance for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer patients cut their risk of dying of the disease in half when they receive radiation seed implants (brachytherapy) to treat their cancer, compared to those who don't receive active treatment (watchful waiting/active surveillance), within six months from being diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, according to a study presented October 31, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

1 Nov 2007

Brachytherapy effectively cures prostate cancer in young men

Radiation seed implants (brachytherapy) are just as effective at curing prostate cancer in younger men (aged 60 and younger) as they are in older men, according to a study presented at a scientific session on October 31, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Breast cancer radiation does not affect women's immune system

A new study shows that neither of two commonly used radiation treatments for early-stage, node-negative breast cancer has any effect on a woman's immune system, even though women who receive five-day partial-breast radiation therapy (MammoSite brachytherapy) (PBRT) have improved energy and quality of life compared to women who undergo six weeks of whole-breast radiation therapy (WBRT).

15 Oct 2007

Additional biopsy-scoring data may help determine prostate cancer prognosis

Men with certain scores and patterns based on prostate cancer biopsy were found to be at higher risk of PSA-failure, suggesting that this measurement could help predict the risk of prostate cancer recurrence, according to preliminary research published in the October 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Oct 2007

Vaginal brachytherapy improves quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer

Quality of life after treatment for endometrial cancer can be significantly improved by the use of vaginal brachytherapy, where radiotherapy is delivered internally using a vaginal cylinder, the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

25 Sep 2007

Internal radiotherapy better than external for quality of life in endometrial cancer patients

24 Sep 2007

Teal-time system plants 'seeds' against cancer

Radiation oncologists and urologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia have begun using a real-time system to implant radiation-emitting seeds in prostate cancer patients.

24 Sep 2007

Stereotactic body radiation therapy reduces length of prostate cancer treatment

Breihan Bridgewater suffers from emphysema. He sleeps on his side because when he lays flat on his back it feels like there's a boulder resting on his chest.

20 Sep 2007

High dose rate brachytherapy treatment for prostate cancer

Up to 79% preservation of potency and less than 2% incontinence are the striking results of a clinical study in which over 300 men received an innovative treatment for prostate cancer.

29 Jun 2007

VCU to develop new form of radiation therapy

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a five-year, $10.7 million grant to Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers to develop a new form of radiation therapy that will enable the safe administration of more aggressive cancer treatments.

9 May 2007