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.

Johns Hopkins experts say hospital consolidation may reduce patient choice, increase medical expenses

In a commentary published in the Aug. 13 issue of JAMA, Johns Hopkins experts say consolidation of hospitals into massive chains threatens healthy competition, reduces patient choice and could drive up medical expenses.

19 Aug 2015

First patient enrolled in Phase II trial of ImmunoPulse IL-12 and pembrolizumab combination therapy

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, today announced enrollment of the first patient into the Phase II Investigator Sponsored Trial led by the University of California, San Francisco to assess the anti-tumor activity, safety, and tolerability of the combination of OncoSec's investigational therapy, ImmunoPulse IL-12, and Merck's approved anti-PD-1 agent, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma.

18 Aug 2015

MGH study reveals effects of combined radiation and chemotherapy on the brain tissue of glioblastoma patients

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center researchers - the first to examine the effects of combined radiation and chemotherapy on the healthy brain tissue of glioblastoma patients - reveals not only specific structural changes within patients' brains but also that the effect of cancer therapy on the normal brain appears to be progressive and continues even after radiation therapy has ceased.

18 Aug 2015

FDA accepts Chiasma's NDA filing for octreotide capsules for treatment of adult patients with acromegaly

Chiasma, Inc., a U.S. late-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for the marketing and sale of octreotide capsules, an oral drug proposed for the maintenance therapy of adult patients with acromegaly.

17 Aug 2015

New system accurately and reliably captures patient experience with cancer drug side effects

In cancer clinical trials, symptom side effects patients experience, like nausea, are typically reported by doctors, and not directly by patients. Previous research has shown that doctors under-report these symptoms.

14 Aug 2015

Merck, MD Anderson form strategic clinical research collaboration to evaluate anti-PD-1 therapy

Merck and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a strategic clinical research collaboration to evaluate Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or novel anti-tumor medicines.

14 Aug 2015

Cost of radiation therapy varies widely among Medicare patients with cancer

Cost of radiation therapy among Medicare patients varied most widely because of factors unrelated to a patient or that person's cancer, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers in the Journal of Oncology Practice.

12 Aug 2015

Novel combination therapy effective at treating patients with skin metastases

In findings never before seen in melanoma, a novel combination therapy was found to be highly effective at treating patients with skin metastases, new research from UC Davis has shown.

12 Aug 2015

Seventeen distinguished members of ASTRO selected to receive Fellows designation

The American Society for Radiation Oncology has selected 17 distinguished members to receive the ASTRO Fellows designation. The 2015 class of Fellows will receive the recognition at the Awards Ceremony at ASTRO's 57th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 20 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

11 Aug 2015

SCCA Proton Therapy Center makes advanced radiation therapy accessible to patients with ocular melanoma

For most the ability to see is often taken for granted. But for the thousands diagnosed with ocular melanoma, the fear of losing their eyesight or even worse, their lives, is an all too real possibility. Ocular melanoma is seen as a rare form of cancer, with approximately two thousand new diagnoses per year.

11 Aug 2015

Shorter course of whole breast radiation therapy better for women with early stage breast cancer

Women who receive a shorter course of whole breast radiation therapy for early stage disease experience less toxicity and improved quality of life compared to those who undergo a longer course of treatment, researchers report from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Aug 2015

Allergan receives FDA approval to market 28 additional styles of Natrelle 410 silicone-filled breast implants

Allergan, plc. today announced that the company has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market 28 additional styles of Natrelle 410 silicone-filled breast implants, giving surgeons and patients more options to achieve desired outcomes.

6 Aug 2015

EORTC study: Irradiation of regional nodes in breast cancer patients has marginal effect on overall survival

At a median follow-up of 10.9 years, an EORTC study has shown that irradiation of regional nodes in patients with stage I, II, or III breast cancer has a marginal effect on overall survival, the primary endpoint (at 10 years, overall survival was 82.3 % for regional irradiation versus 80.7% for no regional irradiation, (HR=0.87 (95%CI: 0.76, 1.00), p=0.06).

4 Aug 2015

Research: Failure to control early, localized prostate cancer leads to poor clinical outcome

Failure to control early, localized prostate cancer results in a poor clinical outcome, according to research published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

4 Aug 2015

Protecting gastrointestinal system during radiation or chemotherapy allows patients to tolerate cancer treatments

The stem cells in our gut divide so fast that they create a completely new population of epithelial cells every week. But this quick division is also why radiation and chemotherapy wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal systems of cancer patients - such therapies target rapidly dividing cells.

30 Jul 2015

Endocrine Society recommends removal of tumor as first-line treatment for endogenous Cushing's syndrome

The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on strategies for treating Cushing's syndrome, a condition caused by overexposure to the hormone cortisol.

30 Jul 2015

Prostate cancer patients more likely to receive medical care matched to level of risk

After decades of overtreatment for low-risk prostate cancer and inadequate management of its more aggressive forms, patients are now more likely to receive medical care matched to level of risk, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

25 Jul 2015

Novartis announces FDA approval of Odomzo (sonidegib) 200 mg capsules for treatment of laBCC patients

Novartis today announced the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Odomzo (sonidegib, formerly LDE225) 200 mg capsules for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (laBCC) that has recurred following surgery or radiation therapy, or those who are not candidates for surgery or radiation therapy.

25 Jul 2015

ASTRO concerned about proposed Medicare physician payment cuts to radiation therapy

The American Society for Radiation Oncology is concerned about proposed additional payment cuts to radiation therapy detailed in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), released July 8, 2015, which will take effect on January 1, 2016.

24 Jul 2015

Moffitt researchers develop genetic test that analyzes sensitivity of tumors to radiation therapy

Recent advances in the understanding of cancer have led to more personalized therapies, such as drugs that target particular proteins and tests that analyze gene expression patterns in tumors to predict a patient's response to therapy.