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.

Triple-combination therapy patch shrinks tumors, prevents recurrence in colon cancer mice model

Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a hydrogel patch that can adhere to tumors in a preclinical model of colon cancer, delivering a local, combination treatment as the elastic gel breaks down over time.

29 Jul 2016

Focused therapy may be effective, less toxic way to treat brain tumors

Physicians from Carolinas HealthCare System's Neurosciences Institute and Levine Cancer Institute are among the authors of a study that was accepted for publication by the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, released on July 26, 2016, shows that patients with the most common form of brain tumor can be treated in an effective and substantially less toxic way by omitting a widely used portion of radiation therapy.

27 Jul 2016

Stereotactic radiosurgery could be more effective for patients with few metastatic brain tumors

Patients with three or fewer metastatic brain tumors who received treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) had less cognitive deterioration three months after treatment than patients who received SRS combined with whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT).

26 Jul 2016

Superficial radiotherapy e-learning portal launched by Xstrahl

Xstrahl officially launch the Xstra Learning Portal, an online educational platform providing an invaluable source of information for all clinical personnel treating patients using superficial radiotherapy. The website, formerly known as STEP, was created by leading clinical professionals and Xstrahl, a world leader in radiation therapy.

From Xstrahl 22 Jul 2016

ASTRO clinical practice statement outlines recommendations to customize treatment for rectal cancer

The American Society for Radiation Oncology recently issued a new clinical practice statement, "Appropriate Customization of Radiation Therapy for Stage II and III Rectal Cancer: An ASTRO Clinical Practice Statement Using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method."

21 Jul 2016

ASTRO honors Ms. Keresztes with 2016 Survivor Circle Award

The American Society for Radiation Oncology has chosen Theresa A. Keresztes, a resident of Wellesley, Massachusetts, to receive the 2016 Survivor Circle Award.

20 Jul 2016

Women who undergo axillary node surgery for breast cancer more likely to develop chronic pain

An analysis led by McMaster University researchers has found that women who undergo armpit lymph node surgery for breast cancer are much more likely to develop chronic pain.

11 Jul 2016

Researchers suggest shorter HF-WBI course as preferred option for early-stage breast cancer patients

Early-stage breast cancer patients receiving a shorter course of whole breast radiation with higher radiation doses per fraction reported equivalent cosmetic, functional and pain outcomes over time as those receiving a longer, lower-dose per fraction course of treatment, according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

16 Jun 2016

Veterinarian conducts clinical trials to improve cancer treatment for animals, humans

Raelene Wouda's passion for improving cancer treatment starts with our four-legged friends.

15 Jun 2016

Study opens up new strategy to make immunotherapy more effective for different cancer types

By combining local radiation therapy and anti-cancer vaccines with checkpoint inhibitors, researchers from the University of Chicago, working with mice, were able to increase the response rate for these new immunotherapy agents.

14 Jun 2016

LA-NSCLC patients treated at high-volume centers survive longer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and is estimated to have contributed to 221,200 new cases and 158,040 deaths in 2015 alone. A secondary analysis of NRG Oncology's clinical trial RTOG 0617, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was initiated in an effort to evaluate the effect of institution accrual volume on clinical outcomes among patients receiving chemoradiation for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).

8 Jun 2016

Two autologous stem-cell transplants improve survival of children with high-risk neuroblastoma

Children with high-risk neuroblastoma whose treatment included two autologous stem-cell transplants were more likely to be free of cancer three years later than patients who underwent a single transplant, a Phase 3 clinical trial has found.

7 Jun 2016

Study shows aggressive end-of-life care for young cancer patients may be less effective

In the last month of their lives, younger cancer patients continued to be hospitalized and receive other aggressive treatment at high rates, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study found.

7 Jun 2016

Metformin along with chemotherapy/radiation improves outcomes in head and neck cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found that adding increasing doses of an approved Type 2 diabetes drug, metformin, to a chemotherapy and radiation treatment regimen in head and neck cancer patients is not well tolerated if escalated too quickly, but allowing slower escalation could be beneficial.

6 Jun 2016

Radiation therapy with bevacizumab/pembrolizumab improves outcomes in glioma patients

Patients with recurrent high-grade glioma brain tumors have few effective treatment options and the majority of available therapies do not improve survival. Moffitt Cancer Center will present preliminary results from a phase 1 study testing whether the addition of pembrolizumab to radiation therapy and bevacizumab is safe and can control tumor growth for these patients.

6 Jun 2016

Some women with ovarian cancer do not receive beneficial surgical treatment, study finds

Nearly 20 percent of women with ovarian cancer do not undergo surgery, despite it being a standard part of treatment recommendations, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

2 Jun 2016

Combining VCA with organ transplants improves patient outcomes

Simultaneous transplantation of a "composite" skull and scalp flap plus a kidney and pancreas—all from the same donor—provided excellent outcomes for a patient with a non-healing scalp defect and declining organ kidney and pancreas function, according to a report in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

28 May 2016

Gene expression patterns of normal tissue may predict survival rates of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients

Breast tissue surrounding tumors could be used to gauge future survival outcomes for women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, a study led by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers has found.

27 May 2016

Clinical trials of anti-cancer agent PAC-1 continue to progress with anonymous funding

Clinical trials of the anti-cancer agent PAC-1 are continuing to expand, thanks to a $7 million angel investment from an anonymous contributor who originally invested $4 million to help get the compound this far in the drug-approval pipeline.

25 May 2016

Radiation-immunotherapy combination can help treat melanoma

Combining radiation treatments with a new generation of immunotherapies is showing promise as a one-two-punch against melanoma, Loyola Medicine researchers report in a review article.

20 May 2016