Radiation Oncology Digital Community
Outcomes improve for early-stage NSCLC patients
September 7, 2012 -- Outcomes have improved in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the U.S. since 1999, with the improvement presumably coming from radiation therapy, according to a study presented at this week's Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.
Planning APBI treatment for patients with pacemakers
 September 7, 2012 -- Breast cancer patients with cardiac pacemakers implanted on the same side of the body as the diseased breast may require surgical relocation of the device prior to radiotherapy. However, if the patient qualifies for accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) using high-dose brachytherapy, the surgery might not be necessary.
Rapamycin may prevent radiation-induced mucositis
September 7, 2012 -- Research scientists from the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research have discovered a drug that protects stem cells and could prevent cancer patients from developing oral mucositis, or painful inflammation and ulcers in the mouth.
Imaging advances therapy assessment
September 3, 2012 -- Monitoring and understanding a patient's response to therapy plays a central role in optimizing cancer treatment. Advanced imaging technologies could enable monitoring of tumor response at an earlier stage in the treatment course, providing a means for personalized therapy adaptation.
Simple procedures are keys to success of proton facilities
August 28, 2012 -- The use of proton therapy for prostate cancer patients is highly controversial because its high cost compared to other radiation therapy treatments has not been justified by superior patient outcomes. However, prostate cancer patients are essential for a proton therapy center's financial well-being.
RT radiation dose to pancreas linked to adult diabetes risk
August 24, 2012 -- Childhood cancer survivors whose treatment included abdominal radiotherapy (RT) have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Now, a study published online August 23 in Lancet Oncology has narrowed the location of radiation dose vulnerability to the tail of the pancreas.
New takes on image guidance for radiation therapy
 August 24, 2012 -- Kilovoltage and megavoltage conebeam CT are predominantly used for real-time imaging during radiation therapy, with systems based on ultrasound or MRI now also being developed. But there are other imaging modalities that could be used, including those that offer functional and molecular information regarding the tumor being treated.
Molecular signature predicts radiotherapy's benefit
August 21, 2012 -- Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, working with colleagues in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Puerto Rico, have validated a radiosensitivity molecular signature that could lead to better radiation therapy decisions for patients with breast cancer.
Adding ultrasound boosts radiotherapy for prostate cancer
August 17, 2012 -- Combining pulsed nonthermal focused ultrasound with radiotherapy could increase the efficacy of prostate cancer treatment, according to a presentation at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine annual meeting held in Charlotte, NC, earlier this month.
Radiation therapy fights back against proposed Medicare cuts
August 16, 2012 -- Few radiation oncology practices were prepared when the federal government proposed double-digit cuts in Medicare reimbursement in July. But the specialty's defenders are mobilizing to fight back with a major line of attack on the methodology used to justify the payment changes.
Does urologist self-referral force patients to travel for IMRT?
August 15, 2012 -- Men in Texas may be driving more than three times farther than necessary to receive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer if they are being treated at a urology practice that owns its own IMRT equipment, researchers reported on Wednesday in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.
Radiation therapy may reduce breast cancer recurrence
August 13, 2012 -- Radiation therapy following breast conservation surgery may reduce the risk of requiring a mastectomy in the future for women ages 70 to 74 who are estrogen-positive, say Texas researchers. Results from the study of nearly 7,500 women were published online on August 13 in Cancer.
IT plays major QA role in Canadian prostate brachytherapy
August 6, 2012 -- Prostate brachytherapy offers convenience and lower cost for cancer patients who clinically qualify for the treatment, but the success of patient outcomes relies on maintaining rigorous quality assurance (QA). Healthcare IT makes this task easier, according to an article published online in Brachytherapy.
Moments in Radiology History: Part 7 -- Early x-ray treatments
 July 30, 2012 -- Today, diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology are distinctly separate disciplines -- but things weren't always that way. In fact, the early pioneers of radiology began experimenting with the new rays for therapeutic purposes almost as soon as they were discovered.
Rad therapy for pituitary adenoma isn't behind 2nd tumors
July 20, 2012 -- Patients with pituitary adenomas who received radiation therapy following surgery have not developed more second tumors than patients who only underwent surgery, according to a study published in the July issue of Radiotherapy and Oncology.
Prostate brachytherapy bests IMRT in cost-effectiveness
July 16, 2012 -- Five-year outcomes of men with localized low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer are comparable after either intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or prostate brachytherapy. But the latter treatment costs thousands of dollars less, according to an analysis published online in Brachytherapy.
EMR improves review of cancer patients' portal images
July 10, 2012 -- Physicians are more likely to view portal images via an electronic medical record (EMR) rather than on x-ray films, potentially leading to better care for patients receiving radiation therapy, according to a study in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
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