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.

RFA reduces pain in bone metastases patients

Image-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a minimally invasive cancer treatment which can be performed in the outpatient setting, significantly reduced the level of pain experienced by cancer patients with bone (osseous) metastases, limiting the need for strong narcotic pain management, and supporting improved patient frame of mind, according to results of an American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) study published online in the journal Cancer.

5 Jan 2010

FDA approves minimally invasive procedure for treating benign and malignant tumors

A minimally invasive surgical approach developed by head and neck surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The

5 Jan 2010

Experimental lung cancer drug promising against brain cancer glioblastoma and prostate cancer

An experimental drug currently being tested against breast and lung cancer shows promise in fighting the brain cancer glioblastoma and prostate cancer, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in two preclinical studies.

4 Jan 2010

Nukepills.com delivers 5.4 million doses of Potassium Iodide to protect people from nuclear radiation

For Nukepills.com, specialists in the niche market of radiation emergency preparedness, 2009 was a year of record sales due to events such as Iran's nuclear program, nuclear plant radiation leaks, Potassium Iodide distribution programs and worries of dirty bombs.

31 Dec 2009

CPF reports success in advocacy, research support and awareness of PF

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) calls 2009 a year of success in advocacy, research support and awareness, even in a year plagued by the economic recession. PF is a fatal disease that has no known cause, no FDA-approved treatment, and no cure.

30 Dec 2009

Elekta Crawley receives the World Class Manufacturer of the Year 2009 award

Elekta, the world-leading manufacturer of treatment solutions for cancer and brain disorders, has been awarded the prestigious World Class Manufacturing award by The Manufacturer magazine. The award was given in recognition of the quality work produced each year by Elekta manufacturing staff.

From Elekta 29 Dec 2009

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals reports financial results for three months and twelve months ended September 30, 2009

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today financial results for the three months and twelve months ended September 30, 2009. The Company reported a net loss of $746,000, or $0.02 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2009 compared to a loss of $1,055,000, or $0.03 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2008.

28 Dec 2009

Latest diagnosis and treatment of small and non-small cell lung cancer

Under the auspices of the 12th International Symposium on Special Aspects in Radiotherapy 2008 in Berlin, acknowledged experts presented their perspectives on small and non-small cell lung cancer, reflecting the latest standards and engaging in controversies in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

23 Dec 2009

Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.

23 Dec 2009

UPMC reports 10,000th patient treated using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system

On the morning of December 17, 2009, UPMC physicians used Gamma Knife® surgery to treat the center's 10,000th patient, an 81-year-old male with a tumor deep in his brainstem, a site where traditional surgery would have been impossible. Gamma Knife surgery is performed using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system, which directs up to 201 pencil-thin beams of therapeutic radiation precisely on brain tumors and other targets in the head.

From Elekta 23 Dec 2009

Four Latin American cancer patients receive treatment using RapidArc radiotherapy technology

Four cancer patients became the first in Latin America to receive treatment using a fast form of image-guided radiotherapy that potentially enables doctors to improve outcomes while extending modern care to more patients. Doctors at Hope International Centro de Radioterapia of Guatemala are now treating four patients using RapidArc® radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems, one with recurring prostate cancer, one with a nasal cavity tumor, one with rectal cancer, and one with recurring glioblastoma multiforme--an aggressive type of brain tumor.

22 Dec 2009

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals announce collaboration in cancer therapy

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a global license and collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize OGX-011, as well as an agreement to purchase shares in OncoGenex. OGX-011 is a Phase III cancer therapy designed to inhibit cancer treatment resistance.

21 Dec 2009

Soligenix commences SGX201 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for acute radiation enteritis prevention

Soligenix, Inc., formerly known as DOR BioPharma, Inc., a late-stage biotechnology company, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating SGX201, a time-release formulation of oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate (oral BDP), for the prevention of acute radiation enteritis.

21 Dec 2009

Medical physicists converge at ProCure TDC for training in physics of protons and proton therapy

Medical physicists from around the world converged at the ProCure Training and Development Center (TDC) last week for intense training in the physics of protons and proton therapy, an alternative to X-ray radiation for cancer treatment that spares healthy tissue and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment side effects.

19 Dec 2009

Ontario surpasses federal target for radiation therapy

For the past 12 months, Ontario has surpassed the federal target for radiation therapy wait times, demonstrating that the province has continued to improve access to this important cancer treatment.

19 Dec 2009

UVA acquires Extend to broaden the potential for Gamma Knife Perfexion

Patients with overly large benign skull base tumors, lesions too close to critical anatomy and those with multiple brain metastases are among those who will benefit first from a new "frameless" device for use with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion systems.

From Elekta 18 Dec 2009

Alliance HealthCare Services provides financial guidance for full-year 2010

Alliance HealthCare Services, Inc., a leading national provider of outpatient diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy services, reaffirmed 2009 guidance and announced financial guidance for full year 2010.

18 Dec 2009

New statement on breast cancer by ACS underscores value of post-surgical radiation therapy

A new statement on breast cancer by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) underscores the value of an advanced approach to post-surgical radiation therapy provided by the Breast Clinic of Memphis.

18 Dec 2009

Cancer patients with dementia have lower survival rate than patients with cancer alone, says study

A new study published by researchers from the University of Georgia and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., has found that cancer patients with dementia have a dramatically lower survival rate than patients with cancer alone, even after controlling for factors such as age, tumor type and tumor stage.

15 Dec 2009

Researchers present new data for diagnosis and management of beast cancer

As therapies for breast cancer continue to emerge, the issues of how to best monitor success and gauge prognosis remain important questions.

14 Dec 2009