Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Do statins make radiation more effective at curing prostate cancer?

Patients with prostate cancer who receive high-dose radiation treatment and also take statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol have a 10 percent higher chance of being cured of their cancer at 10 years after diagnosis (76 percent), compared to those who don't take these medications (66 percent), according to a study presented at a scientific session October 31, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Study confirms the aggressive nature of breast cancer in African-American women

Contrary to previous studies, African-American women with early-stage breast cancer who have surgery to remove the cancer (lumpectomy) followed by radiation therapy have a higher chance of their cancer coming back in the breast and lymph nodes 10 years after diagnosis, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, according to the largest study of its kind, presented at a scientific session October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Women with breast cancer have less dermatitis when treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy

All women treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer are at risk of developing dermatitis - a sometimes-painful skin condition caused by radiation as it makes its way through the skin to the tumor area and tissue within the breast.

28 Oct 2007

Walking prevents bone loss caused from prostate cancer treatment

Exercise may reduce, and even reverse, bone loss caused by hormone and radiation therapies used in the treatment of localized prostate cancer, thereby decreasing the potential risk of bone fractures and improving quality of life for these men, according to a study presented on October 28, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

28 Oct 2007

Twice the risk of cervical cancer despite operation

Women who have had severe cell changes in the cervix and who have been operated on for them run twice the risk of developing cancer later in life, compared with other women.

28 Oct 2007

Smoking does not result in more advanced stage diagnoses or aggressive breast cancers

Smoking cigarettes is associated with an increased risk of cancers of the lung, head and neck, esophagus, bladder and many others and also affects response to anti-cancer treatments.

28 Oct 2007

Positioning pelvic cancer patients on stomachs for radiation yields better results

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found that positioning pelvic cancer patients on their stomachs rather than their backs is a better method for delivering radiation therapy.

28 Oct 2007

PET scans track small tumors after stereotactic body radiotherapy

Readily available CT screening for lung cancer is increasing the discovery of small, primary lung cancers.

28 Oct 2007

Patient navigators help minority, low-income cancer patients get life-saving treatments

Volunteers who guide low-income and minority cancer patients through cancer treatment, called lay patient navigators (LPN), help them to overcome major obstacles that prevent them from receiving quality care and achieving better outcomes, according to a study presented October 28, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

28 Oct 2007

Surgery, radiation gives early survival advantage in bile duct cancer

Oregon Health & Science University researchers are reporting the discovery of an early survival advantage when a combination of surgery and radiation therapy is used for patients with a rare but deadly bile duct cancer.

28 Oct 2007

Advancement in radiation oncology treatment called IMRT improves care, avoids healthy tissue

New advancements in a radiation oncology treatment called IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) are proving far superior to standard radiation procedures used today in safeguarding the healthy tissues surrounding cancerous tumors, and thus improving patient care.

28 Oct 2007

Intravenous gene therapy protects normal tissue of mice during whole-body radiation

Gene therapy administered intravenously could be an effective agent to protect vital organs and tissues from the effects of ionizing radiation in the event of large-scale exposure from a radiological or nuclear bomb, according to an animal study presented today by University of Pittsburgh researchers at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Los Angeles.

28 Oct 2007

Integrated approach to IMRT provides quality care for head and neck cancer patients

Results from a University of Pittsburgh study demonstrate that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer can be uniformly delivered in a large health care system of academic and community cancer centers through a centralized planning and treatment process.

28 Oct 2007

Education program leads to lasting improvement of cancer knowledge in African Americans

Disparities in access to health care and education hinder minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations from receiving needed cancer services and often lead to delayed cancer diagnoses.

28 Oct 2007

Cancer patients not getting live-saving flu and pneumonia shots

Although flu and pneumonia can be lethal for cancer patients, more than one quarter of patients undergoing radiation therapy are not complying with national guidelines to be vaccinated against these potentially life-threatening yet preventable illnesses, according to a study presented October 28, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

28 Oct 2007

Potential early warning system for lung cancer identified

The British Midlands Development Corporation announced that new research from The University of Nottingham has pinpointed a potential early warning system for lung cancer.

25 Oct 2007

Medical College of Wisconsin receives grant to study infantile hemangiomas

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee a three-year, $1 million Orphan Products Development grant to study infantile hemangiomas – a vascular tumor of the skin or internal organs.

25 Oct 2007

Combination targets offer new hope in fight against cancer

While some targeted therapies - drugs developed to attack specific molecules in the critical chemical pathways occurring within cancer cells - work well by themselves, increasingly researchers are finding that they work better when teamed with other targeted and conventional therapies.

24 Oct 2007

Child health psychologists need to promote adult disease prevention

Many of the lifestyle habits that children and adolescents develop -- eating a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables, being physically inactive or sedentary, and experimenting with tobacco and alcohol use -- can have a major impact on their health later in life.

24 Oct 2007

75% of hospital patients suffer from malnutrition regardless of their pathology

A study of 817 patients conducted in the Department of Nutrition and Bromatology at the University of Granada (UGR), in collaboration with the Unit of Nutrition and Dietetics at the hospital Virgen de las Nieves (Granada, Spain) of 817 patients, showed that 75% of hospitalised patients suffer from malnutrition regardless of their pathology.

24 Oct 2007

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

Do statins make radiation more effective at curing prostate cancer?

Study confirms the aggressive nature of breast cancer in African-American women

Women with breast cancer have less dermatitis when treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy

Walking prevents bone loss caused from prostate cancer treatment

Twice the risk of cervical cancer despite operation

Smoking does not result in more advanced stage diagnoses or aggressive breast cancers

Positioning pelvic cancer patients on stomachs for radiation yields better results

PET scans track small tumors after stereotactic body radiotherapy

Patient navigators help minority, low-income cancer patients get life-saving treatments

Surgery, radiation gives early survival advantage in bile duct cancer

Advancement in radiation oncology treatment called IMRT improves care, avoids healthy tissue

Intravenous gene therapy protects normal tissue of mice during whole-body radiation

Integrated approach to IMRT provides quality care for head and neck cancer patients

Education program leads to lasting improvement of cancer knowledge in African Americans

Cancer patients not getting live-saving flu and pneumonia shots

Potential early warning system for lung cancer identified

Medical College of Wisconsin receives grant to study infantile hemangiomas

Combination targets offer new hope in fight against cancer

Child health psychologists need to promote adult disease prevention

75% of hospital patients suffer from malnutrition regardless of their pathology

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