Winning the War on Cancer: The Critical Role of Radiation Oncology

A group of radiation oncology providers, manufacturers and patient groups today gathered to raise awareness about one of the least understood cancer treatments: radiation therapy. Every year, more than 1 million cancer patients receive radiation treatment. In a patient's personal war against cancer, new and improved technologies are aiding the fight by allowing more targeted radiation to cure cancer, control the growth of cancer or relieve pain and other cancer symptoms.

The Capitol Hill briefing, hosted in coordination with the House Cancer Caucus, featured Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), a breast cancer survivor who was treated with radiation therapy, and Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL), who this month became the first radiation oncologist sworn into Congress.

"As far as cancer treatments go, radiation therapy is very patient-friendly because it allows men and women to get necessary care while maintaining a normal family life and continuing to work. That's a feature that cannot be understated when American families are facing difficult financial times," said Rep. Myrick. Myrick was joined by her own radiation oncologist, Dr. Robert Fraser of North Carolina, and expressed her gratitude to him and his thousands of colleagues "for their life-saving work for cancer patients."

source: US Oncology

RaySearch Laboratories: First Product From Collaboration Between RaySearch And TomoTherapy Receives FDA Clearance

RaySearch Laboratories AB (STO:RAYB) and TomoTherapy Inc. announced that the new software solution SharePlan™ has received 510(k) clearance by the FDA and can now be market launched.

SharePlan™ is an advanced treatment planning solution that enables transfer of treatment plans between TomoTherapy® Hi•Art® systems and conventional linear accelerators. The product uses highly sophisticated algorithms to automatically generate a selection of deliverable high-quality IMRT plans based on an existing Hi•Art® plan. This time-saving concept is an important tool for optimizing patient benefit and throughput at clinics that are introducing a Hi-Art® system into an environment with existing conventional linear accelerators.

source: Medical News Today

ASRO offers online learning opportunities

Fairfax, Va., January 9, 2009 – The ASTRO School of Radiation Oncology (ASRO)
offers several online courses to provide a more convenient way for its members to
get their required continuing medical education (CME) and self assessment module (SAM) credits.

The American Board of Medical Specialties has determined that lifetime certification does not provide an adequate benchmark for quality, but rather continuous professional development and continuous certification are needed to maintain quality performance.

“In 1995, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) began issuing 10-year time limited certificates to board certified radiation oncologists and requiring all radiation oncologists to meet specific continuing education requirements every 10 years,” Kathy Thomas, senior director of education for ASTRO, said. “Recognizing this need, we helped the ABR to develop a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program that
provides an easy way for our members to keep track of the requirements they need to renew their 10-year certificates.”

As part of the MOC program, ASTRO members can complete required CME courses and SAM credits from their personal computers via the ASRO Web site.

source: ASRO

TomoTherapy and Hitachi Medical Corporation Enter Into Distribution Agreement for Japan

MADISON, Wis – Jan. 20, 2009 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Hitachi Medical Corporation (HMC) to distribute the Hi·Art® cancer treatment system in Japan. Through the agreement, HMC will market, sell and service the innovative Hi·Art system, which facilitates highly precise, CT-guided radiation therapy for a wide range of clinical indications.

“Hitachi Medical Corporation is an ideal partner for us and for our valued customers, in one of our most important markets,” said TomoTherapy CEO Fred Robertson, M.D. “HMC’s robust national infrastructure and reputation for excellent technical and customer support will enhance our ability to service all hospitals in Japan that are currently using TomoTherapy technology. Additionally, this agreement represents a significant opportunity for us to reach new customers, and help advance the quality of cancer care across Japan, the second largest radiation therapy marketplace in the world.”

source: TomoTherapy

Duke University Medical Center Optimizes Radiation Treatment Targeting and Efficiency with Calypso® 4D Localization System™

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. (www.calypsomedical.com) announced today that Duke University Medical Center is the first in the country to install a Calypso® 4D Localization System™ with the just-released Adaptive Workflow Efficiency option to optimize radiation treatment for their cancer patients. The upgradeable system option includes Adaptive Couch Repositioning™ which provides connectivity between the Calypso System and Varian Medical Systems’ 4D integrated treatment console (4DITC), to allow an immediate, on-line response to organ motion.

Known as GPS for the Body®, the Calypso System utilizes implanted Beacon® transponders to setup and continuously track the position of targeted tissue during radiation treatment. When the tumor site moves outside of acceptable limits, the clinician can immediately adapt therapy to ensure treatment is delivered as prescribed to the cancerous tissue while avoiding adjacent healthy organs.

“Using the Adaptive Couch Repositioning feature on the Calypso System, we are able to ensure that our patients are optimally positioned for treatment without entering the room,” said W. Robert Lee, M.D., professor of radiation oncology at Duke University Medical Center. “When the System detects significant organ motion, it realigns the patient in a matter of seconds, ensuring that radiation therapy is focused on the tumor, avoiding healthy surrounding tissue. This optimizes treatment by ensuring patients are in the correct position throughout their radiation treatment.”

source: Business Wire

Radiation Lowers Relapse Risk in Noninvasive Breast Cancer

A new review confirms that the addition of radiation therapy to lumpectomy in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a noninvasive early form of breast cancer, substantially decreases the risk of recurrence of either DCIS or invasive breast cancer in the affected breast.

In addition, there appear to be no long-term side effects from the radiation, such as damage to the heart or lungs.

Co-author Dr. Annabel Goodwin and colleagues from the Westmead Hospital in Australia and the University of Sydney looked at recent studies that evaluated the addition of radiation therapy after lumpectomy in the treatment of DCIS.

“We wanted to assess whether breast conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy is better than breast conserving surgery alone,” Goodwin said. “We also wanted to investigate if there was any short- or long-term toxicity from the use of radiotherapy to determine the balance between benefit and harm.”

The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

source: Health Behavior News Service

Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center Now Offering Cancer Patients Faster, Ultra-Precise Radiation Using New RapidArc Technology

ELIZABETH, N.J., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At the end of December, Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center became one of the first cancer treatment centers in the state of New Jersey to offer cancer patients treatment using RapidArc™ radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems . RapidArc is a fast, precise form of treatment that is delivered two to eight times faster than is possible with conventional radiation therapy technologies. By delivering radiation doses more quickly and with great accuracy, Trinitas clinicians can simultaneously improve the quality of care while making patients more comfortable.

"We're very pleased to offer this technological advantage to our patients at Trinitas," says Gary S. Horan, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinitas Regional Medical Center. "This technology makes Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center a regional leader in offering cancer patients access to treatments that can improve outcomes by doing a better job of sparing surrounding healthy tissue while delivering more powerful radiation doses to tumors."

source: Varian

North Shore Radiation Therapy in New York Performing 4-Dimensional CAT Scan Simulations for Cancer Treatment

With 4-Dimensional CAT scan treatment planning, physicians are able to obtain a CAT scan while the patient breathes and then analyze the movement of a tumor and/or normal tissue inside the body. This allows for more precise targeting of the cancer treatment. According to Richard Byrnes, MD, Medical Director of North Shore Radiation Therapy, "We can no longer look at a regular CT image and believe that the tumor is totally static. Depending on the position of the tumor, it has been clearly demonstrated that breathing can impact its position, and we now have the technology to identify these movements which allows us greatly improved accuracy in cancer treatment."

Diverse imaging technologies are necessary for optimum cancer treatment. The first step in preparing a patient for cancer treatment is called the treatment simulation. This process is usually accomplished using fluoroscopy or CT scan (CAT scan), where a patient's tumor is localized, and marks are placed on the body for daily treatment set up. After simulation, treatment-planning computers are used to map out the radiation dose in and around the tumor, using information acquired by the CAT scan and other imaging studies such as PET scans and MRI.

source: PR-Inside

DOR BioPharma Obtains Fast Track Designation For DOR201 In The Prevention Of Acute Radiation Enteritis

Ewing, NJ – January 6, 2009 – DOR BioPharma, Inc. (DOR or the Company) (OTCBB: DORB) today announced that its program for the development of DOR201 (oral beclomethasone dipropionate) for the prevention of acute radiation enteritis has received "Fast Track" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Fast Track is a designation that the FDA reserves for a drug intended to treat a serious or life- threatening condition and one that demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need for the condition. Fast track designation is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs. For instance, should events warrant, DOR will be eligible to submit a new drug application (NDA) for DOR201 on a rolling basis, permitting the FDA to review sections of the NDA prior to receiving the complete submission. Additionally, NDAs for fast track development programs ordinarily will be eligible for priority review, which implies an abbreviated review time of six months.

“There are no FDA approved therapies to prevent acute radiation enteritis,” stated Christopher J. Schaber, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of DOR. “The FDA's action in granting fast track designation is an indication of DOR201's potential to address this serious, unmet medical need with over 100,000 patients at risk annually.

source: DOR Biopharma

Fox Chase to Open State-of-the-Art Radiation Therapy Facility in Buckingham Township

PHILADELPHIA (December 1, 2008) — Fox Chase Cancer Center, known for pioneering the radiation therapy treatments of tomorrow, has announced plans to build a world-class radiation therapy facility in Buckingham, Pa. The new facility, approximately 19 miles from the Center's main campus, will give Bucks County residents more convenient access to Fox Chase's nationally recognized cancer treatment regimens, along with access to innovative care and clinical trials. Patients at Fox Chase Cancer Center at Buckingham will be able to take advantage of the latest advances in radiation therapy provided by some of the nation's most experienced doctors using state-of-the-art technologies.

Satellite facilities like Fox Chase Cancer Center at Buckingham represent one aspect of the Center's "hub-and-spoke" path for growth, which will enable Fox Chase to pursue its mission to reduce the burden of cancer and allow the Center to further strengthen its position as a national leader in cancer research, prevention, and treatment. Most importantly however, this model will provide patients who live outside the Philadelphia area greater access to the services of an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center.

source: Fox-Chase Cancer Center

First RapidArc Radiotherapy Treatment in Italy Takes Place at Leading Milan Cancer Center

MILAN, Italy, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A pancreatic cancer patient has become the first person in Italy to be treated using a new, faster form of radiotherapy that potentially enables doctors to improve outcomes while extending more advanced care to more patients. The Humanitas Clinic in Milan delivered the faster treatment using RapidArc™ radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems .

"We see three major benefits with RapidArc," added Dr. Marta Scorsetti, lead clinician at Humanitas. "The short treatment time -- under two minutes in this case -- decreases the chances of the patient moving during treatment, which helps to improve precision. RapidArc enables us to spare more healthy tissue from receiving unnecessary dose and we believe this additional precision will enable us to increase the dose, which should contribute to a higher cure rate."

source: Varian

ASTRO changes name to American Society for Radiation Oncology

After 26 years as the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, ASTRO is changing its name to the American Society for Radiation Oncology. With its new name, ASTRO has also unveiled a new logo that will keep the acronym ASTRO by having the “T” represent ASTRO’s tagline, “Targeting Cancer Care.”

“Today, most departments and practices use the term ‘radiation oncology’ to represent the hard work they do using radiation therapy to treat and cure patients with cancer,” Laura I. Thevenot, ASTRO’s chief executive officer, said. “Over the past few decades the term ‘therapeutic radiology’ has become outdated and confusing as radiation oncology has evolved into a specialty very separate from its origins in diagnostic radiology. ASTRO’s new name will better correlate with the term that our members are using in their own practices to communicate with patients and better reflect who we are as a specialty.”

This is the fourth time the Society has changed its name since it was established as the American Club of Therapeutic Radiologists in 1958.

source: News Release Wire

TomoTherapy Tops MD Buyline Review of Radiation Therapy Vendors

TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of the Hi·Art® treatment system for advanced, CT platform-based radiation therapy, announced today that it has again earned the highest user satisfaction composite rating among linear accelerator vendors in MD Buyline’s Quarterly User Satisfaction Report, published on Jan. 1, 2009. The composite score for TomoTherapy topped that of conventional linear accelerator suppliers Varian Medical Systems, Elekta and Siemens for the third time in the last four quarters.

MD Buyline measures user satisfaction based on evaluations by more than 3,300 hospitals in the member network. Members rank their satisfaction in six areas: system performance; system reliability; installation and implementation; applications training; service response time; and service repair quality. TomoTherapy’s rankings were the highest in overall composite score, and either the highest or second highest in each contributing category. Founded in 1983, MD Buyline is a market intelligence organization that provides the healthcare industry with independent analysis and reporting.

source: Tomotherapy