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.

Study identifies gene mutations that impact radiation resistance and sensitivity

A new Northwestern Medicine study identifies common and rare gene mutations that impact radiation resistance and sensitivity, an important step toward providing more individualized and effective radiotherapy for patients with cancer.

20 Oct 2022

Newly identified gene may provide a therapeutic target for deadly glioblastoma multiforme

Research led by doctors and scientists at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UCLA Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior have identified a gene that may provide a therapeutic target for the deadly, treatment-resistant brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

19 Oct 2022

New findings highlight the need for strategies to mitigate widening disparities in mortality rates

New findings by the American Cancer Society (ACS) showed disparities in mortality rates by educational attainment as a measure of socio-economic status considerably increased in 2020 compared to prior years.

13 Oct 2022

Novel nanozyme protects bones against damage from radiation

University of Central Florida material sciences engineers Melanie Coathup and Sudipta Seal have designed a cerium oxide nanoparticle -; an artificial enzyme -; that protects bones against damage from radiation.

26 Sep 2022

Cleveland Clinic’s ROBIN center may pave way for more effective radiation, immunotherapy treatments

Cleveland Clinic received a $7.9 million five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health to form one of three national centers as part of the newly established Radiation Oncology-Biology Integration Network (ROBIN).

22 Sep 2022

New radiation therapy option may extend lifespan, improve quality of life for certain brain cancer patients

UC San Diego Health is the first hospital system in San Diego to offer a new, highly targeted and precisely placed radiation therapy that delays tumor regrowth while protecting healthy tissue in patients with brain cancer.

19 Sep 2022

New abortion laws jeopardize cancer treatment for pregnant patients

As abortion bans go into effect across a contiguous swath of the South, cancer physicians are wrestling with how new state laws will influence their discussions with pregnant patients about what treatment options they can offer.

16 Sep 2022

NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn receives first Magnet recognition for excellence in nursing

NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn received its first Magnet recognition for excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)—making it the only hospital in Brooklyn with this designation.

15 Sep 2022

Immunotherapy before surgery improves outcomes in many patients with stage II–IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

In an international, multicenter Phase II clinical trial led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 63.3% of patients with stage II–IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) saw their tumors nearly or completely disappear when treated with immunotherapy before surgery.

13 Sep 2022

Breast MRI may help stratify the risk of second breast cancer

Breast tissue features apparent on MRI are linked with future second breast cancer risk in women with a personal history of breast cancer, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Aug 2022

Discovery paves the way for specific therapies for common form of childhood brain and spine tumor

A study conducted by researchers in Brazil, Australia, Austria and the United States has made significant discoveries about a type of pediatric cancer with no approved drugs for treatment and with a low survival rate.

29 Aug 2022

The risk of adverse reactions when herbal medications are taken with cancer drugs

A new study discusses phytovigilance initiatives based on the real-world use of herbal drugs in cancer along with conventional chemotherapy.

24 Aug 2022

Study gains insight into how deadliest form of brain cancer returns

The deadliest form of brain cancer returns because tumors adapt to treatment by recruiting help from nearby healthy tissue, say researchers who are trying to find a cure for the disease.

22 Aug 2022

New clinical trial may establish a standard of care for patients with oligometastatic kidney cancer

Kidney cancer encompasses a wide spectrum and can present with extensive metastases or just a handful. However, today all patients are treated the same. They all receive medication.

19 Aug 2022

Cancer-related fatigue contributes to balance problems following exposure to chemotherapy for breast cancer

For many women who have undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer, cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a persistent side effect – and one that contributes to ongoing balance problems, suggests a paper in Rehabilitation Oncology, official journal of APTA Oncology, an academy of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

15 Aug 2022

First Phase II study of immunotherapy combined with curative radiotherapy for unresectable locally advanced NSCLC

Researchers from Japan today reported that the first phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of durvalumab and concurrent curative radiation therapy for PD-L1-positive unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer without chemotherapy met its primary endpoint with tolerable adverse reactions.

8 Aug 2022

Increased use of stereotactic body radiation therapy for NSCLC patients can reduce treatment disparities

The use of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for patients with non-small cell lung cancer can reduce treatment disparities between White and Black patients, according to research presented today at the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer 2022 in Vienna.

8 Aug 2022

New study to investigate focused ultrasound's role in addressing neurofibromatosis type 2

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation and the Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) have established a partnership to advance innovative, noninvasive treatments in pediatrics.

21 Jul 2022

Hitting rewind on the spread of pancreatic cancer

News-Medical speaks to Linxiang Lan, a staff scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research, about a fundamental discovery that could pave way for new pancreatic cancer treatments.

14 Jul 2022

Clinical trial examining the combination of atezolizumab and chemoradiation for patients with limited-stage SCLC reaches accrual

The NRG Oncology/Alliance clinical trial NRG-LU005, examining the addition of the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab combined with chemoradiation for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) recently reached the trial's accrual goal of 506 patients.

8 Jul 2022