UC Irvine-led study links low-dose radiation to higher cancer risk

Long-term exposure to low-dose radiation is linked to an increased risk of cancer, according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine. In the U.S., radiation exposure for the average person doubled between 1985 and 2006, mainly from medical imaging procedures such as CT scans, highlighting the need for its judicious use.

MD Anderson Research Highlights for July 19, 2023

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.

Study Finds Disease Progression and Adverse Radiation Effects Are Low in Patients Undergoing Preoperative Stereotactic Radiosurgery

In a new study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute, researchers highlight improved outcomes for patients treated with preoperative stereotactic radiosurgery, particularly in rates of tumor recurrence, adverse radiation effects and spread of tumor cells to the fluid outside of the brain.

Study Shows Promising Safety, Patient Outcomes Data for MRI-Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy to Treat Pancreatic Cancer

Findings from a recent prospective study show promising safety and patient outcomes data for locally advanced and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer treatment using ablative Stereotactic MRI-Guided On-table Adaptive Radiation Therapy, also known as SMART.

Patient-specific cancer tumours replicated in 3D bioprinting advance

Bowel cancer patients could in future benefit from a new 3D bioprinting technology which would use their own cells to replicate the complex cellular environment of solid tumours in 3D models. The University of Bristol-led advance, published in Biofabrication, would allow clinicians to treat the models, known as spheroids, with chemotherapy drugs and radiation to help them understand an individual patient’s resistance to therapies.

Response-adapted ultra-low dose radiation achieves complete response in 90% of patients with orbital indolent B-cell lymphomas

Using a novel response-adapted ultra-low dose radiation therapy strategy, MD Anderson researchers observed a 90% complete response rate in patients with orbital indolent B-cell lymphoma. The results were presented today at the 2022 ASTRO Annual Meeting.

Cleveland Clinic Receives $7.9 Million Grant from National Institutes of Health to Form Radiation Oncology-Biology Integration Network (ROBIN)

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).

Radiation Therapy as Effective as Surgery for Prostate Cancer

Radiation is an effective treatment for prostate cancer. Ronald D. Ennis, MD,Professor and Vice Chair of Network Integration and Quality, Department of Radiation Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute, along with Lara Hathout, MD, FRCPC, radiation oncologist and director of Brachytherapy at Rutgers Cancer Institute and associate Professor of radiation oncology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School share more

MD Anderson Research Highlights for May 4, 2022

Featured studies include clinical advances with a new combination therapy targeting angiogenesis in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and a promising immunotherapy combination for kidney cancer, plus laboratory studies that focus on targeting ferroptosis in specific lung cancers, developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms, and characterizing racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer early detection.

American Association of Physicists in Medicine Issues Position on Medical Imaging Radiation Limits

When a medical imaging exam provides a clinical benefit, the only risk that should be considered is the exam itself rather than a patient’s previous radiation exposure, according to a statement from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American College of Radiology and the Health Physics Society, citing potential adverse effects on patient care.

Story tips: Sensing oil leaks, 3D prints in space, more fuel from ethanol, Arctic modeling boost, making isotopes faster and nano-enabled microscopy

Story tips: Sensing oil leaks, 3D prints in space, more fuel from ethanol, Arctic modeling boost, making isotopes faster and nano-enabled microscopy

MD Anderson Research Highlights for June 30, 2021

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recently published studies in basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. Current advances include expanded use of a targeted therapy for a new group of patients with leukemia, molecular studies yielding novel cancer therapeutic targets, insights into radiation therapy resistance and a community intervention to reduce cervical cancer rates.

Experimental Drug Makes Radiation Therapy More Effective, Less Damaging

DALLAS – May 20, 2021 – An experimental drug that has shown promise in protecting healthy tissue from collateral damage caused by radiation therapy for cancer also appears to enhance radiation’s capacity to kill tumors, a new study led by UT Southwestern scientists shows. The findings, published online in Science Translational Medicine, could provide a much-needed boost to the radiation treatments used against a variety of tumor types.

Improving the Precision of Treatment for Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation

Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care — part of Ridgewood, NJ, based Valley Health System — is now using new technology to improve the precision of radiation therapy by accounting for the continual motion of a patient’s anatomy so treatment is delivered with greater accuracy and effectiveness.

Valley is the only hospital on the east coast and, only fourth in the nation, using the latest generation of capabilities available in the newest iteration of ExacTrac Dynamic from Brainlab.

Exercise May Improve Effects of Radiation Therapy in Prostate Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death around the world after heart disease. This week, researchers exploring the effects of exercise as a natural preventive tool and noninvasive treatment for cancer will present their work at the American Physiological Society (APS) Integrative Physiology of Exercise conference.

5G Wireless May Lead to Inaccurate Weather Forecasts

Upcoming 5G wireless networks that will provide faster cell phone service may lead to inaccurate weather forecasts, according to a Rutgers study on a controversial issue that has created anxiety among meteorologists.

Deep Look at Immune Cells in Patients’ Tumors Reveals Insights on Timing for Treatment Combinations

It’s clear that radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, an approach used to treat cancer since the early 20th century, can be an effective companion to newer, immune-stimulating approaches known as immunotherapy. Research from a team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center explains how radiation helps boost the immune system’s ability to fight cancer in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors — and provides new evidence that the timing of these therapies can make a big difference in how effectively they work together.

Jefferson Lab ES&H Deputy Director Receives Health Physics Society Honor

Bob May’s career-long aspiration has been to keep people from all walks of life and in different work environments safe from radiation in the workplace. Now, the deputy director of Environment, Safety and Health at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has been honored for his dedication to the field by being named a fellow of the Health Physics Society.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Urologist Leads Collaborative Study on Fertility Counseling Prior to Chemotherapy

For younger cancer patients, fertility counseling at the time of cancer diagnosis is important for making family planning decisions. Ranjith Ramasamy, M.D., a clinician and researcher at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was the lead author of a new collaborative study, “Evaluation of Reported Fertility Preservation Counseling Before Chemotherapy Using the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Survey,” published JAMA Network Open.

Jean Paul Allain: Then and Now

Jean Paul Allain is a professor and department head of the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering, the director of the Radiation Surface Science and Engineering Laboratory, professor in Biomedical Engineering by courtesy and the Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Plasma Medicine at Penn State University.