Radiotherapy News and Research

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Radiation therapy (in North America), or radiotherapy (in the UK and Australia) also called radiation oncology, and sometimes abbreviated to XRT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis).

Research may lead to new ways to identify women with breast cancer risks from low-dose radiation

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have identified tissue mechanisms that may influence a woman's susceptibility or resistance to breast cancer after exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation, such as the levels used in full-body CT scans and radiotherapy.

18 Oct 2012

USPTO issues patent to Positron’s solid state sensors

Positron Corporation announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded the Company a patent (U.S. No. 8,269,181) for its original semiconductor detector used in high precision measuring of coordinates and detection of ionization particles.

17 Oct 2012

HPV status predicts oropharyngeal cancer irradiation response

Human papillomavirus-positive head and neck cancer is more sensitive to the initial effects of radiation therapy than HPV-negative head and neck cancer, suggest study findings.

8 Oct 2012

Rare study highlights anal cancer prognosis risks

The presence of palpable, clinically involved inguinal lymph nodes and male gender are both independent risk factors for poor prognosis in anal cancer, confirm the results of a UK analysis.

3 Oct 2012

F-18-FLT-PET predicts early response to chemoradiotherapy in head and neck cancer

Determining the optimal treatment course and predicting outcomes may get easier in the future for patients with head and neck sqaumous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) with the use of an investigational imaging agent.

2 Oct 2012

Genetic profile predicts postradiation erectile dysfunction

Scientists have identified a group of genetic markers that can predict the risk for erectile dysfunction after radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

1 Oct 2012

ProStrakan acquires US commercial rights to Fareston for treatment of metastatic breast cancer

ProStrakan Group plc announces today that it has acquired exclusive US commercial rights to Fareston (toremifene citrate) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

1 Oct 2012

Synta announces results from ganetespib Phase 2b trial on NSCLC

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. today announced results from an interim analysis of the Phase 2b portion of the GALAXY trial, a global, randomized, multi-center Phase 2b/3 study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Company's lead Hsp90 inhibitor, ganetespib, as second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

29 Sep 2012

JAAD to publish Sensus Healthcare’s superficial radiotherapy study on non melanoma skin cancer

Sensus Healthcare is pleased to announce the acceptance and publication of the most comprehensive study to date on treating Non Melanoma Skin Cancer (NMSC) with superficial radiotherapy (SRT) in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD).

29 Sep 2012

Scientists discover 12 genetic markers for ED in prostate cancer patients after radiotherapy

In the first study of its kind, a research team led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University discovered 12 genetic markers associated with the development of erectile dysfunction (ED) in prostate cancer patients who were treated with radiation.

27 Sep 2012

Ileostomy closure carries its own burden

Ileostomy closure carries a considerable risk for morbidity, say the authors of the largest study of the procedure to date.

26 Sep 2012

The ABC of terminal hemorrhage management

To best cope with terminal hemorrhage, at-risk patients should be identified by healthcare professionals while their families and caregivers are prepared, supported, and instructed to assure, be there for, and calm and comfort the patient as the event occurs, say researchers.

26 Sep 2012

Researchers characterize brain's immune response to infiltrating metastases

Brain metastases are common secondary complications of other types of cancer, particularly lung, breast and skin cancer. The body's own immune response in the brain is rendered powerless in the fight against these metastases by inflammatory reactions. Researchers at the MedUni Vienna have now, for the first time, precisely characterised the brain's immune response to infiltrating metastases. This could pave the way to the development of new, less aggressive treatment options.

26 Sep 2012

NVIDIA video cards can help reduce radiation exposure from X-ray and CT scans

Video gamers are generally the biggest consumers of computer graphics cards, using the devices to boost the speed and resolution of their digital quests to fend off invading extraterrestrials or outwit hostile dragons. But researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seek to harness the power of these computer graphics cards to solve one of the world's most pressing health care technology challenges: radiation exposure from X-ray and CT imaging scans.

25 Sep 2012

PTEN inhibitor can trigger growth of small eggs

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have discovered that a chemical can trigger the maturation of small eggs to healthy, mature eggs, a process that could give more women the chance of successful IVF treatment in the future. The results have been published in the revered journal PloS ONE.

24 Sep 2012

FDG–PET/CT improves staging and modifies radiotherapy management

The addition of FDG–positron emission tomography/computed tomography revised radiotherapy decision-making and enhanced tumor staging capabilities in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, research shows.

13 Sep 2012

Colon cancer lymph node target ‘overambitious’ for rectal disease

The lymph node yield needed during rectal cancer surgery following long-course radiotherapy may be considerably less than that recommended for colon cancer, say the authors of a systematic review.

12 Sep 2012

Intermittent hormone therapy effective for prostate cancer patients

Intermittent androgen deprivation is as effective as continuous therapy for men with rising prostate-specific antigen levels after primary or salvage radiotherapy, say researchers who believe the break from treatment improves quality of life.

10 Sep 2012

'Toolkit' for African cancer advocates to be launched on September 15

Cancer kills more than seven million people a year throughout the world. This is more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, and African countries, which carry a large part of the burden, are the least able of all developing countries to cope with the challenges it presents, says a consortium of international cancer organizations.

7 Sep 2012

Toddlers with cancer more likely to develop trauma disorders than babies

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer does not only trigger posttraumatic stress disorder in adults and older children; infants and toddlers with cancer also suffer from trauma disorders, as researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Children's Hospital Zurich show for the first time. This discovery should be taken into account while treating children to prevent them from developing long-term psychological disorders.

7 Sep 2012