Radiation Therapy News and Research

RSS

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.

Shortened RT schedule has similar efficacy as conventional RT schedule in low-risk prostate cancer patients

Of the more than 220,000 patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, the vast majority will have had early-stage disease at low risk for recurrence.

7 Apr 2016

Radiation therapy plus PCV chemotherapy improves survival of low-grade glioma patients

Patients with a low-grade type of brain tumor called glioma who received radiation therapy plus a chemotherapy regimen, including procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine (PCV), experienced a longer progression-free survival and overall survival than patients who received radiation therapy alone, according to the results of the clinical trial, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9802 published in the April 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Apr 2016

Altered metabolism of two essential amino acids helps drive development of glioblastoma

The altered metabolism of two essential amino acids helps drive the development of the most common and lethal form of brain cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

2 Apr 2016

Experimental urine test identifies 92% of men with elevated PSA levels

An experimental urine test that detects genetic changes associated with prostate cancer identified 92 percent of men with elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels who had high-grade cancers, according to a study published today in JAMA Oncology online.

1 Apr 2016

Study reveals adaptive IGRT for bladder preservation has good oncological outcomes

A prospective study examining a trimodality treatment approach in localized bladder cancer cases using adaptive image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) found that the bladder preservation rate at three years was 83 percent.

30 Mar 2016

High levels of radiation dosage may not improve survival of prostate cancer patients

New technology has enabled doctors to administer higher doses of radiation to prostate cancer patients with fewer side effects. However, a new study shows that escalating the dose may not actually help a patient in the long term, at least not patients with localized prostate cancer. The results were published online last week in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

29 Mar 2016

Microneedle-embedded patch delivers cancer immunotherapy directly to melanoma

Biomedical engineering researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a technique that uses a patch embedded with microneedles to deliver cancer immunotherapy treatment directly to the site of melanoma skin cancer. In animal studies, the technique more effectively targeted melanoma than other immunotherapy treatments.

25 Mar 2016

Novel mechanism can suppress blood vessel leakage, reduce tumour spread in mice

Cancer therapy is often hampered by the accumulation of fluids in and around the tumour, which is caused by leakage from the blood vessels in the tumour. Researchers at Uppsala University now show how leakage from blood vessels is regulated.

24 Mar 2016

Female childhood cancer survivors have a good chance of conceiving

A new study examines fertility issues in male and female childhood cancer survivors who had received chemotherapy. The study found that while most female survivors still have a good chance of conceiving, male survivors are significantly less likely to father children.

23 Mar 2016

Increased travel distance to cancer treatment facility affects receipt of RT

Increased travel distance to a cancer treatment facility negatively impacts the likelihood that patients with stage II/III rectal cancer will receive radiation therapy (RT) to treat their disease, according to a study analyzing 26,845 patient records from the National Cancer Data Base that was published in the March 2016 issue of International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics, the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology .

22 Mar 2016

Salvage radical prostatectomy can improve outcomes in prostate cancer patients

Approximately 14 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetimes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Radiation therapy traditionally has been a primary treatment for the cancer, but one-fourth of men have a recurrence of prostate cancer within five years after the therapy.

11 Mar 2016

Clinical review examines benefit of RT in breast cancer patients with BRCA1, BRCA2 mutations

In light of conflicting and inconclusive clinical data on the benefit of radiation therapy in cancer patients with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation, a clinical review examined the current status of data regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2 deficiency and radiation therapy sensitivity and a potential strategy to intensify the effects of radiation therapy (RT) by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), the pharmacologic drugs under investigation as monotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer in patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

9 Mar 2016

Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute awards grants for 10 bladder cancer research projects

A study of obesity and related metabolic changes on bladder cancer incidence and deaths, and a plan to use stem cells to grow novel urinary tubes are among 10 research projects awarded funding by the Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute.

7 Mar 2016

U-M researchers develop novel mouse model of children's brain cancer

Children with brain cancer may soon get some help from mice with the same disease, thanks to new research from University of Michigan Medical School scientists and their colleagues.

3 Mar 2016

Early screening with MRIs can reduce risk of breast cancer mortality for survivors of childhood HL

Researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have confirmed in a screening effectiveness study that early screening with MRIs can reduce breast cancer mortality for female survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who received chest radiation.

1 Mar 2016

eviCore healthcare acquires Boston-based QPID Health

eviCore healthcare, a company committed to enabling better outcomes for patients, payers and providers through advanced medical benefits management, today announced that it has acquired Boston-based QPID Health.

27 Feb 2016

Queen's University leads world's first trial of new combination treatment for advanced prostate cancer

Queen's University Belfast, in partnership with the Belfast Trust, is leading the world's first ever trial of a new combination of cancer therapies for patients with advanced prostate cancer, with the hope of prolonging their lives.

26 Feb 2016

Maryland Proton Treatment Center completes first patient treatment with Varian ProBeam system

Varian Medical Systems, today announced the Maryland Proton Treatment Center successfully completed its first patient treatment with the Varian ProBeam system. The MPTC at the University of Maryland BioPark in West Baltimore houses five treatment rooms and is the first in the Eastern US to offer image-guided intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) with a ProBeam system.

24 Feb 2016

Majority of LAHNC patients rely on lifestyle-altering cost-coping strategies to manage treatment

The majority of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancers (LAHNC) rely on cost-coping strategies that alter their lifestyle in order to manage the financial burden of their care, according to research presented at the 2016 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.

19 Feb 2016

Researchers examine molecular profile of HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Throat cancer patients exposed to both human papillomavirus (HPV) and tobacco smoke demonstrate a pattern of mutations along several key cancer genes, according to research presented today at the 2016 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.