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.

National veteran dataset will help dissect the relationship between mental illness and prostate cancer

There appears to be an unhealthy synergy between mental illness and prostate cancer, and researchers are working to dissect the relationship by first assembling the largest dataset ever of veterans with either condition or both.

23 Dec 2019

Radiation-induced brain damage: new study reveals the mechanism

Following radiation therapy to the head for brain tumors, more than 80% of patients who live six months at least after the treatment report a loss of some cognitive functions such as memory, thinking and related tasks. Now a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports shows why this happens, which in turn could pave the way to correct this damage and protect the brain in future patients.

17 Dec 2019

Study: Chemoradiation regimen for Stage III NSCLC is better than two tested alternatives

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and approximately 75-80% of all cases are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

17 Dec 2019

Immunotherapy: A promising new alternative to cancer therapies

Sophie Lucas, a researcher at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) de Duve Institute, studies the immune responses that cancer patients can develop against their own tumor.

16 Dec 2019

New method of feeding tube insertion may offer improved patient safety, cost savings

A team of clinician researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute have partnered with medical device company CoapTech LLC to study a new method of feeding tube insertion.

16 Dec 2019

Detection of mouth, throat cancer through saliva testing could become reality

Cancer of the throat and mouth (oropharyngeal cancers, OPC) are common, and are increasing in incidence especially among younger people. However, these are difficult to diagnose as they are not seen either by the patient or during routine medical examinations.

15 Dec 2019

Breast-conserving treatment without surgery cannot be recommended at this time

Results from NRG Oncology's BR005 study show that breast-conserving treatment without surgery cannot be recommended, based on the study criteria of clinical complete response, radiological complete response (rCR)/near rCR, and negative tumor bed biopsies.

14 Dec 2019

New technique may lead to earlier and easier detection of mouth and throat cancer

Unfortunately, cancers that occur in the back of the mouth and upper throat are often not diagnosed until they become advanced, partly because their location makes them difficult to see during routine clinical exams.

13 Dec 2019

10-year results from clinical trial of extended letrozole therapy for women with HR+ breast cancer

In the updated results from NRG Oncology/NSABP B-42 trial through 10 years of observation, extending letrozole therapy for additional five years after five years of adjuvant endocrine therapy resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.

12 Dec 2019

Radiation therapy alone found to be cost-effective for treatment of DCIS

Ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) accounts for one-fifth of breast cancer cases in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

11 Dec 2019

Common antibiotic appears to boost the effect of radiation on tumor cells

The antibiotic vancomycin alters the gut microbiome in a way that can help prime the immune system to more effectively attack tumor cells after radiation therapy.

9 Dec 2019

Adding venetoclax to transplant conditioning regimen shows promise in patients with myeloid cancers

For patients with high-risk myeloid cancers undergoing a donor stem cell transplant, adding the targeted drug venetoclax to a reduced-intensity drug regimen prior to transplant is safe and does not impair the ability of the donor cells to take root in recipients' bodies, a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers suggests.

8 Dec 2019

Cancer patients report less dry mouth after receiving acupuncture treatment

After receiving acupuncture treatment three days a week during the course of radiation treatment, head and neck cancer patients experienced less dry mouth, according to study results from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

6 Dec 2019

Newer safer way to effectively treat deadly brain cancer

A new engineering solution may help deliver tumor killing drugs directly to the brain tumor without the toxic body effects of systemic chemotherapy. The new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports reports on the use of coaxial electrospinning, an industrial fabrication technology, in the production of membranes that incorporate drugs to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive cancer of the brain.

3 Dec 2019

Study reveals effectiveness of single-dose radiotherapy for cancer in the spine

A single dose of radiotherapy is as "effective" as five doses for end-of-life cancer patients suffering with painful spinal canal compression, finds a large study conducted by UCL.

3 Dec 2019

MRI-guided ultrasound ablation: safer better treatment for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer may soon be treated more effectively using ultrasound at therapeutic levels, without the significant and distressing side effects of more traditional treatments. A new study presented on December 2, 2019, presents the outcome of using focused ultrasound ablation under MRI guidance in a novel procedure that can be used to treat both benign and malignant enlargement of the prostate gland.

2 Dec 2019

Immunotherapy after CRT is safe in curative treatment of women with node-positive cervical cancer

Results from the NRG Oncology phase I clinical trial NRG-GOG 9929 show that utilizing the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is tolerated in the curative treatment of women with lymph node-positive cervical cancer.

2 Dec 2019

Alzheimer's may soon be treated with low dose radiation therapy

A new Phase I study is in the pipeline that would try the effects of low dose radiation therapy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers from the Beaumont Research Institute in Royal Oak, Michigan are in the process of recruiting patients for their study. The study is titled, “Study of Low Dose Whole Brain Irradiation in the Treatment of Alzheimer's disease”.

27 Nov 2019

Coping with (power) loss: California’s hospitals, clinics, patients face new reality

We all know that when the power goes out, refrigerators, heaters and air conditioners stop running. Homes go dark, and desktop computers shut down.