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.

CareCore, MedSolutions complete merger agreement

CareCore National, LLC and MedSolutions, Inc., two leading providers of Specialty Benefits Management (SBM) services to managed care organizations and risk-bearing provider organizations, today announced the completion of a merger that will help advance the companies' collective commitment to containing healthcare costs and achieving quality medical outcomes.

4 Dec 2014

Study: Common prostate cancer therapy exposes low-risk patients to more adverse side effects

A common prostate cancer therapy should not be used in men whose cancer has not spread beyond the prostate, according to a new study led by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

4 Dec 2014

Prostate cancer patients with life expectancies of less than 10 years receive aggressive treatment

National guidelines recommend that men with low- and intermediate -risk prostate cancer and life expectancies of less than 10 years should not be treated with radiation or surgery, since they are unlikely to live long enough to benefit from treatment. Yet it is unknown whether such men are unnecessarily receiving these aggressive local treatments, putting them at risk for potentially debilitating side effects.

2 Dec 2014

Protein complex plays key role in detecting tumor cells, promotes anti-tumor response

A recently discovered protein complex known as STING plays a crucial role in detecting the presence of tumor cells and promoting an aggressive anti-tumor response by the body's innate immune system, according to two separate studies published in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Immunity.

21 Nov 2014

Gastric cancer patients who receive chemoradiation after surgery have better survival rates

Patients who receive chemotherapy and radiation after surgery for gastric cancer appear to have better survival rates than those who had surgery followed by only chemotherapy, according to results of a look-back study of more than 500 people by Johns Hopkins scientists.

19 Nov 2014

Study: Chemotherapy following radiation therapy improves survival in adults with low-grade gliomas

A chemotherapy regimen consisting of procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine (PCV) administered following radiation therapy improved progression-free survival and overall survival in adults with low-grade gliomas, a form of brain cancer, when compared to radiation therapy alone.

17 Nov 2014

Prostate cancer patients with hereditary BRCA mutations respond less well to conventional treatment

Prostate cancer patients carrying inherited mutations in the BRCA genes respond less well to conventional treatment, including surgery and/or radiotherapy - and they also have a lower survival rate than those who are non-carriers of these genetic mutations. Data from the study, which has been published in the journal European Urology, points to the need for new clinical trials aimed at targeting these mutations in order to tailor treatment for these patients.

17 Nov 2014

New technology improves lung cancer detection during radiation therapy

Researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have developed a technology that improves the detection of tumors during radiation therapy for early-stage lung cancer.

14 Nov 2014

New anti-cancer drug may protect normal cells against radiation

Although radiation treatments have become much more refined in recent years, it remains a challenge to both sufficiently dose the tumor while sparing the surrounding tissue.

14 Nov 2014

Pretreatment ILD is a risk factor for developing radiation pneumonitis in stage I NSCLC patients

Pretreatment interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant risk factor for developing symptomatic and severe radiation pneumonitis in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) alone.

12 Nov 2014

ViewRay's MRIdian system gets CE Mark approval

ViewRay, a privately held medical device company, announced today that its MRIdian (me-rid-i-an) system, the world's first and only MRI-guided radiation therapy system, has received CE Mark (Conformite Europeenne) approval.

11 Nov 2014

Seattle Children's starts patient enrollment for immunotherapy clinical trial for neuroblastoma

Seattle Children's today announced the opening of patient enrollment for its new cellular immunotherapy clinical research trial designed to induce remission in children suffering from neuroblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer.

7 Nov 2014

APBI with proton therapy less costly than other traditional treatments for early stage breast cancer

In terms of duration of treatment and cost, patients with early stage breast cancer may benefit from accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with proton therapy versus whole breast irradiation (WBI), according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center.

3 Nov 2014

PORT can improve survival for non-small cell lung cancer patients

Patients who received post-operative radiation therapy (PORT), radiation therapy after surgery, lived an average of four months longer when compared to the patients who had the same disease site, tumor histology and treatment criteria and who did not receive PORT, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

31 Oct 2014

New Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment of acromegaly

The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly, a rare condition caused by excess growth hormone in the blood.

31 Oct 2014

STS releases new clinical practice guidelines for treating esophageal cancer

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has released new clinical practice guidelines for treating cancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction (area where the esophagus meets the stomach).

30 Oct 2014

Patients who receive chest radiation for Wilms tumor face breast cancer risk later in life

A new study has found that patients who received chest radiation for Wilms tumor, a rare childhood cancer, face an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life due to their radiation exposure.

28 Oct 2014

BRI receives FDA permission to conduct study of Antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 in DIPG patients

Burzynski Research Institute, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the company permission to conduct an open-label study of Antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 in patients > 3 months of age with a diffuse intrinsic brainstem glioma (DIPG).

25 Oct 2014

The PROBEAT-RT Proton Beam Therapy System incorporating real-time tumor-tracking is approved in Japan

Hokkaido University and Hitachi, Ltd. have announced that the approval under Japan’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Law has been granted to Hitachi for the manufacture and sales of the PROBEAT-RT, a proton beam therapy treatment system combining spot scanning irradiation and Real-time Tumor-tracking Radiation Therapy.

23 Oct 2014

Genetic changes in blood cells of older people linked to lymphoma, leukemia

At least 2 percent of people over age 40 and 5 percent of people over 70 have mutations linked to leukemia and lymphoma in their blood cells, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 Oct 2014