Radiation Therapy May Increase Diabetes Risk In Childhood Cancer Survivors

Childhood cancer survivors treated with total body or abdominal radiation may have an increased risk of diabetes, according to a report in the August 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. This correlation does not appear to be related to patients' body mass index or physical inactivity.

"As a result of their curative therapies, childhood cancer survivors face an increased risk of morbidity and mortality," with almost 75 percent of survivors developing a chronic health condition and 42.4 percent developing a severe, disabling or life-threatening condition 30 years after diagnosis, according to background information in the article. Cardiovascular disease, in particular, is a significant cause of deaths in this group. "In the general population, diabetes mellitus is strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death."

source: Medical News Today

Patients With Common Brain Tumours May Have Poorer Cognitive Function After Receiving Radiotherapy

An article published Online first and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet Neurology reports that although low doses of radiotherapy are considered as safe; they may contribute to progressive cognitive decline in patients with low-grade glioma brain tumours.

The most common type of brain cancer is Low-grade glioma (LGG) brain tumour. Early or delayed radiotherapy is the most frequent treatment. But still, there are many questions about the best treatment approach. Over time radiotherapy can cause damage to the brain. Since the average survival time for patients with LGG is ten years, these patients are at significant risk of developing late or delayed radiation injuries.

source: Medical News Today

First Customer Installs CyberKnife System in Existing Radiation Therapy Vault

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today that CyberKnife Center of Chicago at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in Elmhurst, Ill., has installed the CyberKnife((R)) Robotic Radiosurgery System in one of the hospital's existing radiation therapy vaults. This marks the first installation of this new CyberKnife configuration option, which can save hospitals both time and money.

"We are excited about the new CyberKnife configuration and its ability to fit into an existing vault, because it requires significantly less modification and has allowed us to get the System up and running more quickly so we can begin treating patients," said Greg Spurlock, chief operating officer of US Radiosurgery, the managing partner of CyberKnife Center of Chicago.

Because radiation therapy systems are gantry-based machines, meaning they only rotate in a single rotational plane, radiation therapy vaults are typically smaller and require less shielding than a standard CyberKnife vault. Since a key factor in the CyberKnife System's precise treatment delivery is its ability to move in virtually any direction, it wasn't previously possible to install a CyberKnife System within a radiation therapy vault. Recognizing that this was an obstacle for many hospitals, Accuray used advanced optimization techniques to reconfigure a new layout that made this type of installation possible with minimal-to-no additional shielding.

source: PR Newswire