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.

Socioeconomic inequalities may affect outcomes for patients with anal cancer

In a study of patients with anal cancer, living in low median household income areas was linked with an increased risk of early death. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that socioeconomic inequalities may affect cancer outcomes, especially for highly treatable and curable tumors such as anal cancer.

12 Mar 2018

MD Anderson and RaySearch partner to enhance cancer radiation therapy

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and RaySearch Laboratories today announced a strategic alliance with the aim of enhancing cancer radiation therapy through several initiatives, including more precisely targeting of tumors and improving upon, and making more available, an existing radiation therapy called adaptive radiation therapy, currently only used at highly specialized care centers.

From RaySearch Laboratories AB 27 Feb 2018

Actual experiences with modern breast radiation therapy found to be better than expected

A new study reveals that many patients with breast cancer have misconceptions and fears about radiation therapy, but their actual experiences with modern breast radiation therapy are better than they expected.

26 Feb 2018

Stem cell vaccine helps protect mice against numerous cancers, finds study

Lab mice injected with inactivated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) displayed a significant immune response against lung, breast, and skin cancers. The vaccine also prevented relapses in animals with removed tumors.

16 Feb 2018

Cervical tumors may be vulnerable to therapies that attack cancer's fuel supply, study shows

Cancer therapies have improved -- in some cases dramatically -- over the past two decades, but treatment for cervical cancer has remained largely unchanged. All patients receive radiation and chemotherapy, yet despite the aggressive approach, the regimen fails in about one-third of patients with cervical cancer that has spread beyond the cervix but not outside the pelvis.

15 Feb 2018

Trial shows safety, feasibility of adding immunotherapy during chemoradiation for head and neck cancer

Analysis of a clinical trial, RTOG Foundation 3504, finds that nivolumab immunotherapy can be administered safely in conjunction with radiation therapy and chemotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed local-regionally advanced head and neck cancers.

13 Feb 2018

Scientists suggest new strategy to inhibit untreatable, deadly nerve sheath tumors

Genomic profiling of mostly untreatable and deadly nerve sheath tumors led scientists to test a possible therapeutic strategy that inhibited tumor growth in lab tests on human tumor cells and mouse models, according to research in the journal Cancer Cell.

13 Feb 2018

Lab-grown eggs could combat infertility

Researchers have successfully developed human eggs in a laboratory in a major scientific first.

9 Feb 2018

Microbubbles increase radiotherapy success against breast cancer

A new study found that injecting microbubbles filled with oxygen into breast cancer tumors makes them three times more sensitive to radiotherapy.

1 Feb 2018

NCCN sets new record for guidelines and events

More than eight million copies of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology were downloaded in 2017, marking a 16% increase over 2016, and setting a new personal record for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

31 Jan 2018

Refusing surgery decreases chance of beating esophageal cancer, study finds

Patients with esophageal cancer who refuse surgery when it is recommended are less likely to survive long term than similar groups of patients who undergo an operation, according to research presented today at the 54th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

30 Jan 2018

Oxygen-filled microbubbles make breast tumors more sensitive to radiation therapy

Injecting breast cancer with oxygen-filled microbubbles makes tumors three-times more sensitive to radiation therapy and improves survival in animal models of the disease.

30 Jan 2018

UAMS Myeloma Institute expert compiles new book on Castleman disease

Castleman disease, a rare disorder of the lymph nodes and related tissues, was identified and named more than a half-century ago but, until recently, no one had written a book exclusively about it.

30 Jan 2018

Shorter courses of radiation effective for treatment of slow-growing skin cancers

A recent Penn State College of Medicine physician's study review suggests that shorter courses of radiation are preferable to longer ones for older patients receiving treatment for slow-growing skin cancers.

30 Jan 2018

New palliative radiation techniques could provide better quality of life for lung cancer patients

While palliative radiation therapy is used to ease pain in patients with advanced lung cancer, it often has adverse effects on the esophagus which leads to symptoms like heartburn and difficulty swallowing.

29 Jan 2018

New gel offers protection for organs at risk during prostate cancer treatment

Radiation therapy is a popular and effective treatment for many men with prostate cancer, and now a temporary gel offers greater protection for organs at risk during treatments.

23 Jan 2018

New discovery could help treat breast cancer through precision medicine

University of Alberta researchers have discovered a mechanism that may make cancer cells more susceptible to treatment. The research team found that the protein RYBP prevents DNA repair in cancer cells, including breast cancer.

9 Jan 2018

Radiation therapy algorithm could lessen side effects, maintain effectiveness of treatment

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a mathematical model for computing radiation therapy treatments that could substantially reduce patient side effects while delivering the same results as conventional radiation therapy.

5 Jan 2018

Small-cell lung cancer patients encounter obstacles to receiving standard-of-care treatment

Despite decades of clinical research establishing chemotherapy with thoracic radiation as the standard-of-care for the initial management of non-metastatic small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), a large percentage of U.S. patients do not receive these treatments and in turn have lower overall survival, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

4 Jan 2018

Supercomputers help scientists to devise cancer models for predicting individual treatment outcomes

Attempts to eradicate cancer are often compared to a "moonshot" -- the successful effort that sent the first astronauts to the moon.

3 Jan 2018

Radiation Therapy News and Research

Further Reading

Socioeconomic inequalities may affect outcomes for patients with anal cancer

MD Anderson and RaySearch partner to enhance cancer radiation therapy

Actual experiences with modern breast radiation therapy found to be better than expected

Stem cell vaccine helps protect mice against numerous cancers, finds study

Cervical tumors may be vulnerable to therapies that attack cancer's fuel supply, study shows

Trial shows safety, feasibility of adding immunotherapy during chemoradiation for head and neck cancer

Scientists suggest new strategy to inhibit untreatable, deadly nerve sheath tumors

Lab-grown eggs could combat infertility

Microbubbles increase radiotherapy success against breast cancer

NCCN sets new record for guidelines and events

Refusing surgery decreases chance of beating esophageal cancer, study finds

Oxygen-filled microbubbles make breast tumors more sensitive to radiation therapy

UAMS Myeloma Institute expert compiles new book on Castleman disease

Shorter courses of radiation effective for treatment of slow-growing skin cancers

New palliative radiation techniques could provide better quality of life for lung cancer patients

New gel offers protection for organs at risk during prostate cancer treatment

New discovery could help treat breast cancer through precision medicine

Radiation therapy algorithm could lessen side effects, maintain effectiveness of treatment

Small-cell lung cancer patients encounter obstacles to receiving standard-of-care treatment

Supercomputers help scientists to devise cancer models for predicting individual treatment outcomes

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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