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.

Using artificial intelligence to personalize the dose of radiation therapy for cancer patients

New Cleveland Clinic-led research shows that artificial intelligence can use medical scans and health records to personalize the dose of radiation therapy used to treat cancer patients.

28 Jun 2019

Immune system could be blamed for ineffectiveness of high-dose radiation against lung cancer

When it comes to using radiation against lung cancer, preliminary clinical studies were pretty clear: More is better.

27 Jun 2019

Researchers explore new immune checkpoint for head and neck cancer

A checkpoint may delay travelers but it can help give cancer free rein by suppressing the natural immune response that should destroy it, researchers say.

25 Jun 2019

Women more likely to suffer from long-term cognitive impairment after brain tumor radiation

Young women who undergo radiation therapy to treat a pediatric brain tumor are more likely to suffer from long-term cognitive impairment than male survivors, according to a study by Georgia State University researchers.

25 Jun 2019

Chemotherapy can wreak havoc on the heart

Cheryl Krafft was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and was put on a very high-powered chemotherapy regimen to rid her body of the cancer. What she was not counting on was the chemotherapy causing another equally deadly problem.

21 Jun 2019

Cancer patients taking statin medication has lower risk of suffering a stroke

Cancer patients taking cholesterol-lowering statin medication following radiation therapy of the chest, neck or head had significantly reduced risk of suffering a stroke, and possibly other cardiovascular complications, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

20 Jun 2019

Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors at greater risk for developing heart disease

Thanks to advanced medical treatments, women diagnosed with breast cancer today will likely survive the disease.

19 Jun 2019

A 'health number' that could tell about prostate disease

When it comes to staying on top of your health, doctors often tell you how important it is to "know your numbers." Blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index can tell you a lot about your heart health, but if you're a man, you need to know one more - your PSA, or prostate-specific antigen.

18 Jun 2019

New radiation technique shows promise for treating patients with essential tremor

Tyrus Agee thought his promising new career was doomed. He had only one year left to finish his Doctor of Optometry degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.

16 Jun 2019

New approach could help in treating brain tumors, other rare cancers

Large randomized clinical trials can uncover biomarkers that indicate which cancer treatments are likely to work best for individual patients. But it's been challenging to find these biomarkers in rarer cancers where such robust data aren't available.

13 Jun 2019

Radiation associated with increased risk of adverse cardiac events in lung cancer patients

As advances in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) extend patients' lives, more of these patients are facing a different threat: adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and heart failure.

11 Jun 2019

Robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer not better than radiation therapy, study finds

In 2012, scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute launched the world's first clinical trial comparing robotic surgery to radiation therapy for the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer (cancer at the back of the throat).

7 Jun 2019

ASTRO applauds new prior authorization legislation that aims to reduce obstacles in cancer care

On behalf of the nation's radiation oncologists and the more-than one million cancer patients in their care this year, the American Society for Radiation Oncology applauded today's introduction of bipartisan federal legislation that would rein in restrictive prior authorization practices that unnecessarily delay patient access to critical cancer treatments.

6 Jun 2019

Researchers develop novel imaging test to predict immunotherapy response in kidney cancer

A novel imaging test shows promise for identifying kidney cancer patients most likely to benefit from immunotherapy.

4 Jun 2019

Study identifies promising cancer target for liposarcoma

A study conducted by a team of researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore has revealed a close association between liposarcoma (LPS), a type of cancer that develops from fat cells, and the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) protein family.

3 Jun 2019

Study shows both IDH-mutant WHO-defined molecular subgroups could benefit from PCV chemoradiotherapy

A recent, updated predictive analysis of the three WHO-defined molecular subgroups based on isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH) mutation status and 1p/19q co-deletion status represented in the high-risk treatment arms of the NRG Oncology clinical trial NRG-RTOG 9802 indicates that both IDH-mutant sub-groups (IDHmut-noncodel and IDHmut-codel) could benefit from the addition of PCV chemotherapy to radiotherapy treatment.

3 Jun 2019

E-cigarette use on the rise among cancer patients and cancer survivors

E-cigarette use is climbing among cancer patients and cancer survivors, according to a new study by a UT Southwestern Medical Center oncologist.

23 May 2019

Black patients less likely to adopt active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer than white men

At a time when a growing number of men with prostate cancer considered "low risk" are opting for active surveillance or watchful waiting rather than immediate treatment with surgery or radiation, a new study reveals that black men are less likely than white men to adopt an active surveillance strategy for their disease.

23 May 2019

Proton therapy results in fewer side effects for many cancer patients

Proton therapy results in fewer side effects than traditional X-ray radiation therapy for many cancer patients, according to a new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania.

22 May 2019

Researchers examine the protocol for treating aggressive prostate cancer

Treating an aggressive disease is always challenging but improving the way therapies are applied can benefit patients by giving them a better outcome.

20 May 2019