Changes in standardized uptake values on FDG-PET/CT scans may be "significantly predictive of tumor recurrence" in patients with squamous cell cancer of the neck and head, according to a new study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Nov 19 - In men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance, routine biopsy approaches often miss disease progression. Sampling of the anterior region of the prostate may improve detection, researchers report in the November issue of the Journal of Urology.  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Nov 17 - Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is widely used to treat hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer, but an American Society of Clinical Oncology evidence review warns there is no proof of the efficacy and efficiency of this approach.  

Imaging plays a major role throughout the entire cancer management process -- from diagnosis and staging, to therapy planning and delivery, to response monitoring and surveillance, according to a presentation at the recent American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting in Chicago.  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Nov 12 - In a study of Danish women who underwent surgery for breast cancer, nearly half still reported pain two to three years later, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association for November 11.  

Women receiving whole-breast radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery should have two CT simulation exams for treatment planning -- the first prior to treatment planning and the second near the end of treatment prior to delivery of a small-field boost, according to an article in the November issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.  

A new study published online today in Cancer has found that breast cancer patients with dense breasts have a four times higher risk of recurring malignancy than women with less-dense breasts. Patients with dense breast tissue might be directed to radiation therapy due to their elevated risk levels, the study suggests.  

CHICAGO (Reuters Health), Nov 5 - Cutting the duration of radiation treatment in half may be just as effective as delivering it over the conventional five to seven weeks in appropriately selected women with early breast cancer, researchers reported at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting.  

CHICAGO (Reuters Health), Nov 5 - Adding four months of hormone therapy to radiation treatment prolongs survival in men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer but not in men with low-risk disease, according to a presentation at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting.  

CHICAGO (Reuters Health), Nov 5 - Using gamma knife radiosurgery to eliminate Parkinson's disease tremors and essential tremor is just as effective and far less invasive than more common treatments, yet the technique continues to be severely underutilized, researchers said at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting.  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Nov 4 - Survivors of childhood CNS tumors have consistently been shown to be at risk for residual neurocognitive impairment, and a new study indicates that in many cases, deficits persist into adulthood.  

CHICAGO (Reuters Health), Nov 4 - Stereotactic body radiation therapy can effectively treat very early stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer in patients who are too frail to undergo surgery, according to phase II trial results presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting.  

CHICAGO - High-risk melanoma patients who are treated with radiation therapy after surgery have a significantly lower risk of their cancer returning to their lymph nodes compared to patients who do not receive this treatment, according to a presentation this week at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting.  

CHICAGO - Radiation oncology is celebrating in the Windy City this week after learning that a 19% cut in Medicare reimbursement for radiation oncology procedures won't happen after all. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 30 announced new payment rates for 2010 that call for a far less severe cut in radiation oncology payments.  

The use of radiation therapy to treat pediatric low-grade glioma, the most commonly diagnosed brain cancer in children, is controversial due to the severe, adverse, late effects this treatment can cause. But the long-term outcomes of patients who participated in a large, nearly decade-long clinical trial are encouraging.  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Oct 30 - Men with localized prostate cancer treated with external-beam radiotherapy are apt to have better sexual function afterward than men treated with cryoablation, Canadian oncologists advise.