http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news179996907.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:40:01 EST news179996907 Circulating metastatic breast cancer cells can lose their epithelial receptors, a process that enables them to travel through the bloodstream undetected, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news179824466.html Medicine & Health Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:15:02 EST news179824466 New treatment guidelines for patients with brain metastases are now available from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). David Andrews, M.D., F.A.C.S., professor and vice-chair of Clinical Services in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, served as a member of the task force chosen to draft this new, significant tool to improve the quality of care for patients who suffer from brain tumors. http://www.physorg.com/news179665221.html Medicine & Health Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:02:36 EST news179665221 Children and adolescents who survive cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as young adults, according to the largest study on this issue published on bmj.com today. http://www.physorg.com/news179559355.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:36:18 EST news179559355 (PhysOrg.com) -- A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation and chemotherapy, as well as how cells become cancerous in the first place. http://www.physorg.com/news179082814.html Biology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:30:01 EST news179082814 Prostate cancer patients who have a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value of less than or equal to 1.5 at two years after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) are less likely to have a cancer recurrence and cancer-related death, according to a study in the December 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news178985295.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:20:01 EST news178985295 Ohio State University cancer researchers have developed a tumor-attacking virus that both kills brain-tumor cells and blocks the growth of new tumor blood vessels. http://www.physorg.com/news178888627.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:19:03 EST news178888627 Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells. By exploiting this mechanism, researchers have been able to powerfully suppress tumor formation in lab testing and in animal models. http://www.physorg.com/news178121359.html Medicine & Health Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:40:23 EST news178121359 Radiation therapy is effective in achieving local control and palliation in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNTs), despite such tumors being commonly considered resistant to radiation therapy, according to a largest of its kind study in the November 15 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news177943469.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:10:03 EST news177943469 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Northwestern University researchers, using an extremely sensitive nanotechnology-based tool known as the biobarcode system, has detected previously undetectable levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. This new assay, just one of many being developed by investigators at the Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (Northwestern CCNE), is 300 times more sensitive than commercially available PSA tests. http://www.physorg.com/news177775224.html Nanotechnology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:50:01 EST news177775224 Cancer researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have gained new insights into how cells react to DNA damage. Dr. Michael Stilmann, Dr. Michael Hinz and Professor Claus Scheidereit have shown that the protein PARP-1, which detects DNA damage within seconds, activates the transcription factor NF-kappaB, a well-known regulator of gene expression. NF-kappaB triggers a survival program, which blocks programmed cell death. The activation of NF-kappaB is thought to be one of the potential causes for tumor cell resistance to chemo and radiation therapy. http://www.physorg.com/news177593928.html Biology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:01 EST news177593928 Nearly 50 percent of women surveyed indicate they experience pain symptoms 2 to 3 years after breast cancer treatment, with women who were younger or who received supplemental radiation therapy more likely to have pain, according to a study in the November 11 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news177096738.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:00:02 EST news177096738 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute have formed a collaboration to provide proton therapy for St. Jude patients. The announcement follows the approval of the first clinical study to evaluate the use of proton therapy for rare brain cancers in children younger than 3 years old. http://www.physorg.com/news176997034.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:52:05 EST news176997034 Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival. http://www.physorg.com/news176571296.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:10:02 EST news176571296 A patient's socioeconomic status (income, martial status and race) has absolutely no impact on his outcome following curative radiation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. http://www.physorg.com/news176567538.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:01 EST news176567538 Standard adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer patients, following primary surgery for their cancer, is Trastuzumab (Herceptin)--typically used in combination with chemotherapy. However, a new study by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center reports that it may be safe to treat these patients with both Trastuzumab and adjuvant radiation therapy. The study will be presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news176467395.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:50:02 EST news176467395 Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a radiation therapy procedure pioneered at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) that precisely delivers a large dose of radiation to tumors, effectively controls pain in patients with cancer that has spread to the spine, according to researchers from UPCI. The results of the research will be presented this week during the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Chicago. http://www.physorg.com/news176470124.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:29:14 EST news176470124 Optic nerve sheath meningiomas are rare tumors that are traditionally treated with surgery, which is typically a blinding procedure. However, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have found that a specialized type of radiation therapy offers the same local control, with fewer adverse effects on vision. The investigators presented their data at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting (Abstract #2676/B-261). http://www.physorg.com/news176467025.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:10:02 EST news176467025 Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) stopped the growth of cancer at its original site in the lung for three years among nearly 98 percent of patients with early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are unable to have the cancer surgically removed, according to an updated three-year study presented November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news176400010.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:20:01 EST news176400010 Proton beam therapy can be safely delivered to men with prostate cancer and has minimal urinary and rectal side effects, according to a study presented November 2, 2009, at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 51st Annual Meeting in Chicago. http://www.physorg.com/news176400056.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:10:01 EST news176400056 Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers report that radiation therapy alone can reduce prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels below detectable amounts in prostate cancer patients. Patients who have an undetectable level of PSA after therapy have less chance of biochemical failure than other patients and a good chance of being cured. The data was presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. http://www.physorg.com/news176402411.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:02 EST news176402411 High-risk melanoma patients who are treated with radiation after surgery have a significantly lower risk of their cancer returning to the lymph nodes (19 percent), compared to those patients who do not have radiation therapy (31 percent), according to the first randomized study of its kind presented at the plenary session, November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news176402467.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:40:03 EST news176402467 Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) offers a less invasive way to eliminate tremors caused by Parkinson's disease and essential tremor than deep brain stimulation (DBS) and radiofrequency (RF) treatments, and is as effective, according to a long-term study presented November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news176391825.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:46:39 EST news176391825 Seven medical imaging groups wrote a joint letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to formally request coverage of two fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scans for a patient during the initial treatment evaluation. Currently, CMS covers only one FDG-PET study during initial treatment -a limitation that the groups believe is contrary to good clinical practice under certain circumstances. http://www.physorg.com/news175190937.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:09:40 EST news175190937 Cancer patients who receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors have more than twice the risk of developing learning and memory problems than those treated with SRS alone, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news174045013.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:04 EST news174045013 It is estimated that more than 7,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the UK and approximately 3,500 cases result in death. These cancers include tumours of the mouth, lips, throat and voice-box, and some have been linked to the sexually transmitted infection, HPV-16. Scientists at Liverpool analysed the DNA of more than 90 cancerous tissue samples to look for genes that indicated infection. http://www.physorg.com/news173965456.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:10:03 EST news173965456 Medicare recipients with head and neck cancer commonly do not complete radiation therapy without interruptions or at all, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Patients who have surgery before radiation treatment appear more likely to complete therapy, whereas those who have other illnesses or who have chemotherapy first may be more likely to experience interruptions or discontinuation in radiation treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news172770691.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:00:10 EST news172770691 A research project looking for ways to reduce bone loss in astronauts may yield methods of improving the bone health of cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news172237370.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:00:07 EST news172237370 Moderately to severely obese prostate cancer patients may have improved treatment outcomes when treated with image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) over traditional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) because IGRT corrects for prostate shifts, which, if not planned for, can lead to incorrect doses of radiation to the disease site, according to a study in the September 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://www.physorg.com/news171119536.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:50:02 EST news171119536 Directly inhibiting the activity of a key protein mediator of inflammation reduced radiation toxicity in zebrafish embryos, and may ultimately be of help to patients receiving radiation therapy, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. http://www.physorg.com/news171032126.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:20:02 EST news171032126