Brachytherapy News and Research

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Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the use of radioactive seeds the size of rice grains. Brachytherapy, an out-patient procedure, usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to perform. Most patients can return to their normal activities within days. The success rates of prostate brachytherapy have compared favorably with success rates of radical prostatectomy and external beam radiation. In comparison studies, prostate brachytherapy has shown to have a favorable side effect profile when compared with other modalities. Clinical studies have shown that prostate brachytherapy has a cure rate of 94% for appropriately selected patients.

Xoft reports clinical benefits of isotope-free electronic radiation therapy for treatment of cancer

The clinical benefits of isotope-free electronic radiation therapy delivered directly to cancer sites with minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue continues to be substantiated by multiple publications, according to Xoft, Inc., developer of the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx System. The leading provider of FDA-cleared Electronic Brachytherapy Systems, Xoft provides systems for single-dose intraoperative radiation therapy and accelerated brachytherapy applications.

15 Jun 2010

22 Midwest facilities named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation

Twenty-two facilities in the Midwest have been named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for their use of the SAVI® applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

10 Jun 2010

GE Healthcare to present anti-[18F]FACBC phase 1 study results at Society of Nuclear Medicine annual meeting

GE Healthcare, a unit of the General Electric Company, today will present results of a phase 1 study of anti-[18F]FACBC at the 57th annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah. The presentation closely follows the launch of the phase 2 clinical development program for anti-[18F]FACBC, which was initially discovered and developed by Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and was licensed to Nihon Medi-Physics Co., Ltd. (NMP) of Japan.

9 Jun 2010

Nine facilities in northern California region named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation

Nine facilities in the northern California region have been named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for their use of the SAVI® applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

20 May 2010

Varian Medical Systems launches fully-integrated ProBeam proton therapy system at 2010 PT-COG

Varian Medical Systems is introducing the fully-integrated ProBeam™ proton therapy system at the 2010 Particle Therapy Co-operative Group (PT-COG) meeting here this week. The ProBeam system incorporates imaging, gating, robotic patient positioning, treatment planning and oncology information software to enhance treatment quality for patients and workflow efficiency for clinicians.

18 May 2010

Swedish Cancer Institute, Elekta renew partnership to continue flow of technology, services to cancer patients

Swedish Cancer Institute and Elekta launch renewed partnership agreement to continue the flow of world-class technology, services to cancer patients in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

From Elekta 6 May 2010

Three Hamilton scientists receive cancer research grants from Canadian Cancer Society

Three Hamilton scientists are receiving new funding from the Canadian Cancer Society for their work in innovative cancer research.

5 May 2010

Theragenics reports highest quarterly consolidated revenue of $20.3 million

Theragenics Corporation®, a medical device company serving the surgical products and prostate cancer treatment markets, today announced consolidated financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

4 May 2010

SBRT shows promise in treatment of lung, liver and spinal tumors: Clinical experts

Radiosurgical approaches to cancer treatment are showing promise in the treatment of lung, liver, and spinal tumors, according to four leading clinical experts who presented at a symposium in New York earlier this month.

28 Apr 2010

ASTRO President speaks on radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer at MEDCAC meeting

ASTRO President Anthony Zietman, M.D., spoke before the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee meeting today on radiation therapy for treatment of localized prostate cancer. MEDCAC provides advice and recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for what is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, based on scientific evidence.

22 Apr 2010

University Hospital of Zurich treats cancer patients with Varian Medical Systems' TrueBeam system

The University Hospital of Zurich has become the first medical center in the world to commence treating cancer patients with the revolutionary TrueBeam system from Varian Medical Systems, a new platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery that was designed from the ground up to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and precision.

16 Apr 2010

Saint Mary's and Sierra Neurosurgery Group partner to create Nevada's first Brain Tumor Center

Saint Mary's and Sierra Neurosurgery Group have partnered to create the region's first Brain Tumor Center in an effort to speed up the time between diagnosis and treatment.

8 Apr 2010

Cancer research at Georgia Tech: Report

Cancer treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or biological therapy. An oncologist may use one therapy or a combination of methods, depending on the type and location of the cancer, whether the disease has spread, the patient's age and general health, and other factors.

3 Apr 2010

'Because Life is for Living' campaign launched to raise awareness about brachytherapy

Former England Rugby World Cup winner Matt Dawson today launched the 'Because Life is for Living' campaign to raise awareness about brachytherapy, a very precise and highly effective form of radiotherapy to treat cancer.

30 Mar 2010

Varian Medical Systems to showcase radiotherapy and radiosurgery solutions at medical events in Asia

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer with radiotherapy and radiosurgery, will showcase its technology at two medical events in Asia during the month of March:

18 Mar 2010

Watchful waiting is viable option for many men with low risk prostate cancer

Active surveillance, also referred to as watchful waiting, is a viable option for many men with low risk prostate cancer although the concept continues to cause distress and confusion. James L. Mohler, MD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Prostate Cancer, discussed the role of active surveillance as well as other treatment options recommended in the recently updated NCCN Guidelines™ for Prostate Cancer at the NCCN 15th Annual Conference.

18 Mar 2010

Varian Medical Systems chooses EasyLink as provider for hosted fax services

EasyLink Services International Corporation, a premier global provider of comprehensive messaging services and e-commerce solutions, announced today that Varian Medical Systems has selected EasyLink as its provider for hosted fax services for an initial three-year term.

16 Mar 2010

Arc radiotherapy treatments: Breakthrough in image-guided targeting of prostate tumors

Researchers in the US and Denmark have made a breakthrough in image-guided targeting of prostate tumors during arc radiotherapy treatments. In research partially supported by Varian Medical Systems, physicists at Stanford University (California, USA) and Aarhus University Hospital (Aarhus, Denmark) have devised a method for 'real-time' tracking of the prostate motion using Varian's On-Board Imager® that shows promise in paving the way for advanced clinical treatments.

4 Mar 2010

Varian Medical Systems wins 100th X-ray tube patent

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., a premier supplier of X-ray tubes and flat panel digital image detectors, announced it has been awarded a patent for improved shielding in X-ray tubes. It is the company's 100th X-ray tube patent from the United States Patent Office.

23 Feb 2010

Theragenics announces record $18.7M consolidated revenue for fourth-quarter 2009

Theragenics Corporation, a medical device company serving the surgical products and prostate cancer treatment markets, today announced consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. Consolidated results include the results of NeedleTech Products, Inc. (“NeedleTech”) subsequent to its acquisition by Theragenics on July 28, 2008.

11 Feb 2010