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).

Chk1 gene alone is sufficient to kill cancer cells

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a mutant form of the gene, Chk1, that when expressed in cancer cells, permanently stopped their proliferation and caused cell death without the addition of any chemotherapeutic drugs.

1 Aug 2012

Patients with plantar fasciitis experience less pain and improved QOL after standard radiation therapy

Patients with plantar fasciitis (painful bone heel spur) experience significantly less pain and improved quality of life following a standard dose of external beam radiation therapy, a common cancer treatment similar to receiving an X-ray, according to a randomized, cooperative group study that was published online July 25, 2012, in the International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

30 Jul 2012

Treatment with robotic surgery offers dramatic benefit for people with head and neck cancer

Predictors of disease severity in human papillomavirus-derived head and neck cancer, tobacco use, and the dramatic benefits of robotic surgery in people with head and neck cancer are among landmark research presented by Mount Sinai School of Medicine at the Eighth International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. The meeting took place from July 21-25, 2012 in Toronto.

27 Jul 2012

Short-course palliative RT shows promise

A 2-day course of three-dimensional radiotherapy delivered in twice-daily fractions up to 18 Gy resulted in no dose-limiting toxicities, and high rates of symptom relief in patient with pelvic cancer, especially those with bleeding, report researchers.

26 Jul 2012

Actinium completes Actimab-A Phase I/II study on Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative, alpha particle radiotherapy targeted cancer treatments addressing major unmet medical needs, today announced that it has successfully treated the first cohort of patients in a Phase I/II study of Actimab-A in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) clinical trial. Patients were treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

20 Jul 2012

Patients, partners affected by colorectal cancer course

Partners of individuals with colorectal cancer, as well as the patients themselves, are at risk for psychologic morbidity according to the type of treatment given, show Portuguese study results.

19 Jul 2012

Prostate cancer treatment regrets linked to comorbidity

Men with cardiovascular disease are significantly more likely to regret their prostate cancer treatment choice than men without this comorbidity and have an increased risk for adverse effects, US researchers warn.

16 Jul 2012

Breast cancer patients who undergo breast conserving surgery often have a reoperation

One in five women with breast cancer who opt for breast conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy have a reoperation, according to a national study published on bmj.com today. This information on the risk of reoperation should help women in making the decision about whether to undergo breast conserving surgery or mastectomy.

13 Jul 2012

New drug combination could offer hope to children with neuroblastoma

A new drug combination could offer hope to children with neuroblastoma - one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer - by boosting the effectiveness of a promising new gene-targeted treatment.

12 Jul 2012

Radiotherapy redundant in low-risk Hodgkin lymphoma treatment

Children with low-risk Hodgkin lymphoma who respond well to chemotherapy may not require additional radiotherapy, suggest study results.

10 Jul 2012

Researchers discover mechanism that favours disappearance and inhibition of SCC development

Skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a subtype of very aggressive skin cancers that usually develops in sunexposed body regions, but can also affect a large number of organs such as the bladder, esophagus, lungs etc. However, little is known about the biology of these cells, which consequently makes difficult the generation of new specific therapies; actually, the standard treatments are based on surgery and subsequent radiotherapy.

10 Jul 2012

Novel treatment for cancer based on protein from HIV-1 virus

Yissum, Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, introduces a novel method for treating cancer based on Vif, a protein isolated from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1). The method was invented by Professor Emeritus Moshe Kotler and Dr. Roni Nowarski from the Department of Immunology and Cancer Research at the Hebrew University.

9 Jul 2012

NewYork-Presbyterian/WCMC first in N.Y. City to offer INTRABEAM radiotherapy

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is the first and only hospital in the five boroughs of New York City to offer women with early stage breast cancer INTRABEAM radiotherapy, an innovative radiation treatment delivered in a single dose at the time of surgery.

6 Jul 2012

Single dose breast cancer treatment helps forego 6-7 week radiation regimen

5 Jul 2012

Italy's first successful pregnancy and delivery following transplantation of ovarian tissue

Although the first successful preservation of fertility from the freezing, thawing and grafting of ovarian tissue was reported eight years ago, the technique has remained experimental and confined to a few specialist centres. Now, with the announcement of a first pregnancy (and subsequent live birth) in Italy following the transplantation of ovarian tissue, there are indications that fertility preservation is moving into the mainstream of reproductive medicine and into a greater number of centres.

4 Jul 2012

Sosei completes SO-1105 Phase I trial for oropharyngeal candidiasis in Japan

Sosei Group Corporation, the biopharmaceutical company, today announces that its wholly owned Japanese subsidiary, Sosei Co., Ltd., has successfully completed a Japanese Phase I trial for SO-1105 for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis.

2 Jul 2012

Shorter regimen of radiotherapy safe for noninvasive breast cancer patients

Accelerated whole breast irradiation after lumpectomy is an effective treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a very common early stage and noninvasive form of breast cancer, meaning many more breast cancer patients could see their treatment times reduced by half, according to a study in the June issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

30 Jun 2012

Ovarian grafts can produce hormones for more than 7 years

Transplanting previously frozen ovarian tissue back into female cancer survivors can lead to long-term hormonal function and preservation of fertility, according to a new study by Samuel Kim from the University of Kansas Medical Center in the US. His work-, which shows that hormonal function was restored in five women 12-20 weeks after transplantation, and in one case lasted for more than seven years, appears online in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics-, published by Springer.

29 Jun 2012

Results from Access’ MuGard Phase 4 trial on oral mucositis

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments in areas of oncology and oncology supportive care, announced that Dr. Ron R. Allison of Carolina Radiation Medicine, Greenville, NC, presented results from its ongoing MuGard Phase 4 clinical trial in oral mucositis (OM) at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Conference in New York City.

29 Jun 2012

Varian launches on-line X-ray product finder tool

Varian Medical Systems, X-Ray Products, has launched an on-line product finder tool giving customers the ability to quickly locate needed replacement X-ray tubes as well as flat panel detectors for digital imaging.

26 Jun 2012