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.

Proton therapy radiation patterns may increase breast implant complications

Radiation therapy is sometimes needed after mastectomy and breast reconstruction for breast cancer.

11 Nov 2026

Alliance highlights clinical trials advancing lung cancer detection and care

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, but advances in early detection and treatment are improving the outlook for patients.

9 Nov 2026

MD Anderson and P-Cure join hands to advance proton and helium ion therapy

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and P-Cure Ltd. today announced a strategic alliance to advance the development and clinical validation of a next-generation particle therapy platform designed to deliver both proton and helium ion therapy from a single compact upright treatment system.

8 Nov 2026

UT MD Anderson announces major expansion to transform cancer care

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the historic expansion of its Texas Medical Center (TMC) campus through two new facilities: Inspiration Tower and Prism.

6 Nov 2026

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology highlights key role of clinical research in advancing men's cancer care

Every November, millions worldwide grow mustaches and join Movember, a global movement launched in 2003 to spark conversations about men's health, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health.

3 Nov 2026

Targeting specific enzyme reverses radiation-induced immune suppression in cancer

Researchers at the University of Chicago identified a mechanism to make immune cells reprogrammed by radiation therapy attack tumors rather than protect them.

30 Oct 2026

Narrow surgical margins may safely remove childhood soft tissue sarcomas

It's a question that surgeons often face: How much surrounding healthy tissue should they take out when removing a patient's cancer to be sure it is fully eliminated? Removing more can sacrifice nearby nerves, blood vessels, tendons and even joints, with lasting effects on quality of life.

28 Oct 2026

Updated ASTRO guidelines recommend shorter radiation courses for prostate cancer

An updated clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of hypofractionated radiation therapy for patients with localized prostate cancer.

27 Oct 2026

KRAS-targeting vaccine prompts immune responses in pancreatic cancer patients

An investigational vaccine helped the immune system recognize and respond to mutations that drive most pancreatic cancers, according to results from a randomized phase 2 clinical trial led by Mayo Clinic researchers.

23 Oct 2026

Half-matched bone marrow transplants show high survival in young aplastic anemia patients

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins Children's Center report that bone marrow transplant using half-matched family donors achieved a 96% survival rate among children, adolescent, and young adult patients with severe aplastic anemia, a rare, life-threatening disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough healthy blood cells.

22 Oct 2026

Fractionated radiation reduces brain cancer recurrence and boosts survival

Mayo Clinic researchers led a multicenter study that found dividing radiation into several treatments, known as fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery, reduced the risk of cancer returning after surgery for brain metastases and was associated with improved survival compared with delivering radiation in a single treatment.

30 Sep 2026

Weekly cisplatin fails to reduce acute toxicity in advanced head and neck cancer

Physicians typically use either a higher dose of cisplatin given every three weeks or a lower dose given weekly in combination with radiation to treat locally advanced head and neck cancer.

29 Sep 2026

Radioactive collagen tiles double survival for brain metastasis patients

A multicenter clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has found that implanting collagen tiles during brain surgery to deliver targeted radiation therapy dramatically improved tumor control, lowered the risk of recurrence and improved overall survival compared to current standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases in need of surgical resection.

29 Sep 2026

Five-session SBRT preserves quality of life before pancreatic cancer surgery

Patients preparing for pancreatic cancer surgery maintained better physical function and experienced less fatigue with five treatments of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) than with 28 treatments of conventional radiation therapy given with chemotherapy, according to a randomized phase 2 clinical trial.

28 Sep 2026

Five-treatment radiation provides excellent long-term prostate cancer control

Five-treatment stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) provided excellent long-term cancer control with fewer urinary and sexual side effects than surgery in the first randomized trial to directly compare the treatments for localized prostate cancer.

28 Sep 2026

Focused radiosurgery extends survival for small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases

Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that had spread to the brain lived a median of 17 months after focused stereotactic radiosurgery, compared with nine months after an advanced form of whole brain radiation therapy, an unexpected secondary finding from the first randomized phase 3 trial to compare the treatment approaches in this population.

28 Sep 2026

Fractionated radiosurgery extends survival for brain metastasis patients

Delivering focused radiation therapy over three to five sessions after surgery for a large brain metastasis reduced the risk of cancer returning at the surgical site compared with delivering the radiation in a single session, according to the results of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology A071801 presented today at the plenary session of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in Boston.

28 Sep 2026

Prostate cancer biology helps identify hormone therapy candidates

A recent analysis of the NRG-RTOG 0534 "SPPORT" clinical trial evaluated the Luminal B (LumB) molecular subtype using the PAM50 genomic classifier to determine whether tumor biology could help identify patients most likely to benefit from hormone therapy.

27 Sep 2026

Low-dose radiation shows lasting benefits in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Low-dose radiation therapy may do more than relieve pain from early knee osteoarthritis, with a long-term analysis suggesting it could also influence how the disease progresses.

27 Sep 2026

Long-term endocrine therapy adherence remains low after breast cancer surgery

Many patients with early-stage breast cancer do not consistently maintain the long-term hormone therapy prescribed after lumpectomy, a large U.S. insurance claims analysis indicates.

27 Sep 2026