MD's Dispute Study on Breast Cancer Brachytherapy

SAN FRANCISCO, (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A recent study on a sophisticated form of radiation treatment for breast cancer is inaccurate and has caused unnecessary concern among many patients, according to four top physician researchers.

Their target is a controversial study on breast brachytherapy, which is also known as accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). The data by some MD Anderson (MDA) Cancer Center researchers was presented at the recent San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

The doctors challenged the data -- and reassured APBI patients -- during a press teleconference they organized to express their concerns about the study. The participating physicians included:

-- Robert Kuske, MD, (Scottsdale, AZ) Co-Principal Investigator, NSABP B-39 study comparing five-day APBI to six-week whole breast irradiation

-- Peter D. Beitsch, MD, FACS, (Dallas, TX) Co-Principal Investigator of the American Society of Breast Surgeons' MammoSite Registry

-- Jayant Vaidya, MD, (London, U.K.), pioneer of targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT)

-- Rakesh Patel, MD, (Pleasanton, CA), Chairman, American Brachytherapy Society

The San Antonio abstract claimed an older form of APBI was associated with increased toxicity and higher rates of subsequent mastectomy in Medicare patients, compared with standard whole breast irradiation (WBI).

source: MarketWatch

Wayne State study finds soybean compounds enhances effects of cancer radiotherapy

Detroit - A Wayne State University researcher has shown that compounds found in soybeans can make radiation treatment of lung cancer tumors more effective while helping to preserve normal tissue.

A team led by Gilda Hillman, Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology at Wayne State University's School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, had shown previously that soy isoflavones, a natural, nontoxic component of soybeans, increase the ability of radiation to kill cancer cells in prostate tumors by blocking DNA repair mechanisms and molecular survival pathways, which are turned on by the cancer cells to survive the damage radiation causes.

At the same time, isoflavones act to reduce damage caused by radiation to surrounding cells of normal, noncancerous tissue. This was shown in a clinical trial conducted at WSU and Karmanos for prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and soy tablets.

In results published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer in 2010, those patients experienced reduced radiation toxicity to surrounding organs; fewer problems with incontinence and diarrhea; and better sexual organ function. Hillman's preclinical studies in the prostate tumor model led to the design of that clinical trial.

Soy isoflavones can make cancer cells more vulnerable to ionizing radiation by inhibiting survival pathways that are activated by radiation in cancer cells but not in normal cells. In normal tissues, soy isoflavones also can act as antioxidants, protecting those tissues from radiation-induced toxicity.

source: EurekAlert

Scientists may be able to double efficacy of radiation therapy

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Scientists may have a way to double the efficacy and reduce the side effects of radiation therapy.

Georgia Health Sciences University scientists have devised a way to reduce lung cancer cells' ability to repair the lethal double-strand DNA breaks caused by radiation therapy.

"Radiation is a great therapy – the problem is the side effects," said Dr. William S. Dynan, biochemist and Associate Director of Research and Chief, Nanomedicine and Gene Regulation at the GHSU Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics. "We think this is a way to get the same amount of cancer cell death with less radiation or use the same amount and maybe cure a patient that could not be cured before."

Radiation therapy capitalizes on radiation's ability to kill cells by causing double-strand breaks in DNA. But the fact that varying levels of radiation are essentially everywhere – food, air, the ground, etc. – means all cells, including cancer cells, have internal mechanisms to prevent the lethal breakage.

GHSU scientists are targeting the natural defense mechanisms by packaging a piece of an antibody against one of them with folate, which has easy access to most cells, particularly cancer cells. Many cancers, including the lung cancer cells they studied, have large numbers of folate receptors so that cancer cells get a disproportionate share of the package.

Previous efforts to destroy cancer cells' ability to avoid radiation damage have focused on receptors on their surface, said Dr. Shuyi Li, molecular biologist, pediatrician and corresponding author on the study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology.

source: Georgia Health Sciences University

APBI Brachytherapy Associated with Higher Rate of Later Mastectomy, Increased Toxicities, and Post-Operative Complications, Compared to Traditional Radiation Therapy in Women with Early Breast Cancer

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) brachytherapy, the localized form of radiation therapy growing increasingly popular as a treatment choice for women with early-stage breast cancer, is associated with higher rate of later mastectomy, increased radiation-related toxicities and post-operative complications, compared to traditional whole breast irradiation (WBI), according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The retrospective study was presented in the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium's press briefing by Benjamin Smith, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, and in the meeting's scientific session by Grace Smith, M.D., Ph.D., a resident in MD Anderson's Department of Radiation Oncology and the study's first author.

"Our study compared the two radiation therapy techniques available to women with early-stage breast cancer. We found that women treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation therapy have a two-fold increased risk for subsequent mastectomy, most likely because of tumor recurrence or local complications, as well as an increased risk for post-operative and radiation-related complications," said Ben Smith, the study's senior author.

There are numerous types of APBI; the MD Anderson study only looked at the brachytherapy technique, in which a form of radiation treatment involving insertion of a catheter containing a radioactive source to kill breast cancer cells that may remain after lumpectomy surgery.

source: MD Anderson

Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion Earns Nearly Perfect Score in 2011 KLAS Radiation Therapy Report

ATLANTA, Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With a score of 94.4 out of 100, Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ is "practically perfect in every way," ranking at the top among six advanced radiation therapy systems, according to KLAS research firm's recently released customer survey, Radiation Therapy 2011: A Dose of New Technology. The Elekta Infinity™ radiation treatment system garnered the #2 ranking with a score of 84.4, improving its score over the 2010 report.

The 2011 KLAS report – the result of interviews with 213 U.S. provider organizations – referenced respondents' regard for the Perfexion system's technological sophistication, making "treating very complicated tumors in a difficult spot easy for providers," and for the radiosurgery platform's unprecedented uptime statistics. The report summarized customer opinion by noting: "The speed, accuracy, reliability, and sophistication of the treatments all came together for the Gamma Knife Perfexion to earn the highest score in the study by a 10-point margin."

Gamma Knife® surgery is a gentler alternative to traditional brain surgery for illnesses such as metastatic disease – cancer that has traveled to the brain from elsewhere in the body. The system delivers thousands of low-intensity radiation beams to one or more targets in a single session. Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion provides even greater speed and ease of use than previous versions, especially for treating multiple metastases.

source: Elekta

Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer: American Society of Breast Surgeons Responds to San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Data

n a study presented on 12/7/2011 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (“Partial Breast Brachytherapy is Associated With Inferior Effectiveness and Increased Toxicity Compared to Whole Breast Irradiation in Older Patients”), physicians from the MD Anderson Cancer Center compared the 5-year results of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) to whole-breast irradiation (WBI) in patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy. They observed higher rates of mastectomy (4% vs.2.2%) and of treatment-related complications in the APBI patients, differences which are statistically significant but small in absolute terms. The study comprises more than 130,000 patients' Medicare claims data, but is retrospective and therefore cannot assure that the ABPI and the WBI patients were comparable in all other ways. In addition, because this is a claims database, it cannot be concluded that the additional mastectomies were necessarily performed because of a recurrence of cancer.

The American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) maintains a registry of 1440 patients treated by APBI with the MammosSite® balloon catheter device through 2004, and in numerous publications has observed 1) a 5-year local recurrence rate of <5%, comparable to that of whole-breast radiation therapy, 2) a low rate of other complications, and 3) good or excellent cosmesis in approximately 90% of patients. Several single-institution randomized and nonrandomized studies using another technique of APBI, multiple interstitial catheters, also report rates of local recurrence comparable to WBI. source: PR Web

Varian Medical Systems Adds High Dose Delivery and Prone Breast Treatment Capabilities to Clinac® and Trilogy® Cancer Treatment Machines

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinac® and Trilogy® medical linear accelerators from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), machines that are used to treat cancer with targeted radiotherapy, have been updated to deliver higher doses up to two times faster than was previously possible. They can now also better facilitate treating breast cancer patients on their stomachs (in the prone position) rather than their backs—an approach that can reduce the volume of lung and heart tissue exposed to radiation during treatment. Updated control software, which received 510(k) clearance in November from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), adds a High Intensity Mode to the Clinac and Trilogy machines, enabling dose delivery rates of up to 2400 monitor units per minute—double their former highest output.

"Our High Intensity Mode makes it possible to deliver some treatments up to 50 percent faster than is possible without it," said Chris Toth, senior director of marketing for Varian's Oncology Systems business. "We're seeing trends toward the use of hypo-fractionation and radiosurgical approaches for many types of cancer, which means that higher doses are delivered in just one or a few treatment sessions for quick ablation of a tumor. There has been encouraging research supporting this approach for the treatment of cancers of the brain[1], spine[2], and lung[3], as well as for prostate cancer.[4] With High Intensity Mode, our Clinac and Trilogy machines can deliver these high dose treatments within a clinically-feasible timeframe."

Varian also received FDA clearance for the Pivotal™ Care Solution for Prone Breast Treatment, an innovation that allows patients to be treated on their stomachs rather than their backs. Recent studies have shown that, for many women without axillary lymph node disease, treatment in the prone position can be used to significantly reduce the volume of lung and heart tissue exposed to the treatment beam.

source: Varian

Accuray Receives Outstanding Innovative Improvement Award for its CyberKnife System

SUNNYVALE, Calif., November 30, 2011 - Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, today announced that the company received the Outstanding Innovative Improvement Award for its CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System at the 3rd Annual Employer Healthcare Congress, which took place October 25 - 28, 2011 in Chicago.

The award was presented to Accuray in recognition of the fact that patients treated with the CyberKnife System are able to complete treatment in five days or less, compared to radiation therapy treatments, which typically require up to 40 treatment sessions. This significant reduction in the number of daily treatments helps patients get back to work faster, benefitting employees and employers alike. The CyberKnife System targets tumors anywhere in the body and delivers high doses of radiation with pinpoint accuracy. Unlike any other radiation delivery system, the CyberKnife System tracks and adjusts treatment delivery to compensate for tumor motion, including respiration.

"Treatment with the CyberKnife System is typically completed in five or fewer outpatient sessions, compared to the six weeks of daily treatments typical with conventional radiation. Fewer daily treatments allow the employee to get back to their normal schedule, including work, resulting in less stress for the employee and a more efficient workplace for the employer," said Jonathan Edelheit, president of the Employer Healthcare Congress. "Accuray has made a tremendous effort to ensure that employees are aware of the full range of options so they can make an informed treatment decision. We wanted to recognize Accuray’s innovative technology, as well as its education efforts with this award."Accuray Receives Outstanding Innovative Improvement Award for its CyberKnife System

source: Accuray

Clinicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System First in World to Use "Triggered Imaging" Technology From Varian Medical Systems

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System became the first medical center in the world last week to utilize intrafraction motion review (IMR), or "triggered imaging," to continually monitor tumor location during radiosurgery for lung cancer. IMR, which is a unique capability of the TrueBeam™ linear accelerator from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) enables visual verification that a tumor is being properly targeted.

"With triggered imaging, clinicians use the imager on the TrueBeam system to observe the targeted tumor repeatedly, at a predetermined portion of the respiratory cycle, in order to check on the tumor's location and trajectory," said Chris Toth, senior director of marketing at Varian. "If the tumor is not where it is supposed to be, they can halt treatment and intervene to enhance the accuracy of the targeting."

Doctors at UAB used the IMR tool for the first time earlier this month when delivering a Gated RapidArc radiosurgery treatment for inoperable early-stage lung cancer. RapidArc enables fast, precise image-guided IMRT (intensity-modulated radiotherapy) by delivering dose continuously as the treatment machine rotates around the patient. Gated RapidArc makes it possible to monitor patient breathing and compensate for tumor motion during a RapidArc treatment. The Gating system turns the treatment beam on and off in synchrony with the patient's breathing to increase treatment precision. With IMR, or "triggered imaging," the gating system also triggers the imager to generate a low-dose X-ray of the targeted tumor at a specific point in the patient's respiratory cycle.

source: Varian Medical Systems

IsoRay Ships First GliaSite(R) Brain Cancer Treatment

RICHLAND, Wash., Nov 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- IsoRay, Inc. ISR -4.28% announced today it has shipped its first GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system. The Company initiated sales after receiving final approval this week from the State of Washington Department of Health to manufacture its GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system. The GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system is a balloon catheter device used in the treatment of brain cancer. Having already received FDA clearance, the Washington State regulatory approval opened the door for sales of IsoRay's GliaSite(R) brain cancer treatment in the United States.

IsoRay CEO Dwight Babcock says inquiries are on the rise, "News of final regulatory approval has generated a great deal of interest throughout the medical community in the U.S. and internationally. We are hearing from physicians as well as brain cancer patients who are seeking treatment options for Glioblastomas and metastasized brain cancers."

The GliaSite(R) radiation system offers an innovative alternative that presents an important advance over previous brain cancer treatments. Doctors are able to use the system to directly place a specified dosage of liquid radiation in areas where cancer is most likely to still remain after completion of brain tumor removal. The ability to precisely place a specified dosage of this form of radiation means there is less likelihood for damage to occur to healthy brain tissue compared to other alternative treatments. Importantly, the GliaSite(R) radiation treatment diminishes the ability of the tumor to recur which means important benefits for patients in longevity as well as quality of life.

source: Isoray

Prostate Cancer Study Shows Radiation Plus Hormone Therapy Greatly Improves Survival for Men with High-Risk Disease

Newswise — (Toronto – Nov. 3, 2011) – Men with locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer who receive combined radiation and hormone therapy live longer and are less likely to die from their disease, shows clinical research led by radiation oncologists at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Cancer Program, University Health Network.

The findings are published online today in The Lancet (doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61095-7). Principal investigator Padraig Warde, deputy head, PMH radiation medicine program, says: “The study shows combining radiation and hormone therapy improves overall survival by 23 percent and disease-specific survival by 43 percent, compared with treating with hormone therapy alone.

“Based on these results, we believe adding radiation to the treatment plan should become part of the standard therapy.” Dr. Warde is also a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto.

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men and between 15% and 25% percent of cases are high risk, says Dr. Warde. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 25,500 new cases will be diagnosed this year and that 4,100 men will die from the disease.

source: NewsWise

iCAD Announces Recent Adoption of Its Xoft Electronic Brachytherapy System by Leading U. S. Hospitals

NASHUA, N.H., Nov 09, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- iCAD, Inc. ICAD -1.59% , an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapies for the early identification and treatment of cancer, today announced that its Xoft Axxent(R) eBx(TM) electronic brachytherapy system for intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) has been recently adopted at leading hospitals across the country. Facilities that have chosen the Xoft Axxent eBx System for IORT include Diablo Valley Oncology/Hematology (Pleasant Hill, Calif.), Exeter Hospital (Exeter, N.H.), Memorial Hospital Chattanooga (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Florida Hospital Tampa (Tampa, Fla.), Rockford Memorial Hospital (Rockford, Ill.), Rose Medical Center (Denver, Colo.) and Vanderbilt Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.)

"The recent adoption of the Axxent eBx System is an increasing endorsement of electronic brachytherapy and IORT as a safe and effective method of radiation treatment," said Ken Ferry, President and CEO of iCAD. "The growing demand for IORT offers patients expanded access to potentially lifesaving radiation therapy for their cancer treatment and an alternative to long-term radiation therapy."

IORT enables doctors to administer a high dose of radiation to the tumor bed during a lumpectomy, which reduces or eliminates the need for follow-up radiation treatments and also minimizes radiation exposure to healthy tissue and organs, such as the ribs, lungs, heart and opposite breast. The current standard of care for early stage breast cancer consists of lumpectomy, medical therapy, and a five to seven week course of daily Whole Breast External Beam Radiation Therapy (WBEBRT) delivered by linear accelerators inside a heavily shielded room. With IORT, a single dose of intraoperative radiation may be as effective in treating the tumor as 10--20 daily radiation doses.(1)

source: Business Wire

Accuray Receives 510(k) Clearance for a Rotational Dose Control for the TomoTherapy System

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — October 25, 2011 — Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company 510(k) clearance to market the Dose Control System (DCS), a new feature for Accuray’s TomoTherapy® System that improves system performance.

The TomoTherapy System revolutionized radiation therapy with the introduction of helical delivery, providing precise application of dose to target structures while sparing healthy tissue. With the advent of the Dose Control System the TomoTherapy System again breaks new ground as the first dose servo-controlled helical delivery system (patent pending). This approach provides even higher precision with unprecedented dose stability throughout complex rotational treatments. Static delivery provided by the TomoDirectTM option also benefits from a more stable and consistent dose rate at every gantry angle.

The new DCS feature provides these gains by automatically adjusting controls previously handled through a manual process. This means small variations in dose rate are immediately corrected by the system, resulting in fewer interruptions. The DCS application also ensures a more stable output over longer duration treatments, such as Total Marrow and Total Body Irradiation. The result of this new product feature is higher customer satisfaction, a better patient experience, and improved overall system performance.

source: Accuray

New Release of Elekta's Monaco Treatment Planning System Prepares Software for Stereotactic Radiation Therapy

ATLANTA, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Among the many new features of Monaco® 3.0, Dynamic Conformal Arc (DCA) Therapy provides clinicians with a simple way to deliver highly conformal stereotactic plans by using the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) to dynamically conform around a target as the treatment beam rotates around the patient. DCA recently received 510(k) clearance for Monaco from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"DCA can be used to render more conformal plans by creating multiple arcs in a non-coplanar fashion – in such a way that the geometry of each arc minimizes the dose to the adjacent organs during the gantry rotation," says Todd Powell, Executive Vice President, Elekta Software. "When this technique is used in conjunction with micro-MLCs – such as the new Apex™* MLC, which is now supported in Monaco 3.0 – it can yield very conformal plans and is much easier in terms of quality assurance measurements."

DCA is particularly well-suited for stereotactic treatments because it eliminates the need to modulate the typically higher doses per fraction in stereotactic therapy. DCA's benefit, therefore, is fewer monitor units and reduced treatment time compared with other delivery methods.

"With DCA, clinicians have the option to obtain a comparably conformal plan with approximately half the treatment time and reduced scatter dose," Powell adds.

source: PR Newswire

85 Percent of CyberKnife® Sites Within Europe Performing Prostate Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today that 85 percent of European CyberKnife® centers are performing prostate SBRT to treat localized prostate cancer. There is an increasing trend towards treating prostate cancer patients with a hypofractionated regimen.

"More than 25 percent of our CyberKnife patients are being treated for prostate cancer with further growth anticipated," said Dr David Feltl, Head of the Oncology department, Ostrava University Hospital, Ostrava, Czech Republic.

At the Annual Congress of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) in London, UK this growth was supported by strong clinical evidence presented at a symposium focused on prostate cancer co-chaired by Prof. Eric Lartigau, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France, and Prof. Volker Budach, M.D., Ph.D., Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.

"Offering CyberKnife non-invasive treatments to our patients provides excellent 5-year tumor control and very low level of toxicity as recently published in Radiation Oncology 2011," said Prof. Eric Lartigau.

"There is a strong academic interest to further drive prospective randomized clinical evidence for prostate SBRT with the CyberKnife System leading the clinical trend," said Prof. Volker Budach.

"The long term efficacy and toxicity outcomes of single and multi-center studies are supported by many key publications and presentations on CyberKnife prostate SBRT. Supported by an increasing foundation of solid clinical evidence we have seen a 20 percent increase in worldwide prostate cancer treatment as compared to a similar period last year," said Omar Dawood, vice president, Medical Affairs, Accuray Incorporated.

source: PR Newswire

Mirada Medical develops radiation therapy workflows for multidisciplinary cancer management

Oxford, UK, Philadelphia, PA, 3rd May 2011: Bridging radiology and radiation oncology, innovative RT workflows developed by Mirada Medical Limited are the latest in Mirada's portfolio of oncology products on display at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) Anniversary Conference, London UK 8th-11th May 2011.

New RT workflows in XD3, Mirada's multi-modality and multi-timepoint oncology software, harness the power of CT-CT registration between the planning CT and PET/CT to provide functional imaging information for target delineation with accuracy and speed. XD3's registration engine also performs tri-modal fusion between PET/CT and MR in order to immediately realise the benefits of PET-MR for treatment planning, without having a PET-MR scanner. This software-based PET-MR presents powerful information during tumour assessment, staging, and delineation, with better visualisation of soft tissue abnormalities and tumours best localised using MR, such as lymph nodes in the neck.

Central to XD3 is the ability to assess, quantify and compare patient studies across unlimited timepoints, in custom display layouts, simultaneously. Through registration, users can easily propagate VOIs across timepoints, creating tables and graphs which track quantification statistics for comparison and reporting. Statistics are configurable for each user and include PERCIST, RECIST, WHO, among others.

source: Mirada Medical

ASTRO publishes evidence-based guideline for thoracic radiotherapy

Fairfax, Va., April 27, 2011 - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has developed a guideline for the use of external beam radiation therapy, endobronchial brachytherapy and concurrent chemotherapy to palliate thoracic symptoms caused by advanced lung cancer. The guideline will be published in Practical Radiation Oncology, an official journal of ASTRO.

Many patients whose lung cancer has spread receive radiation therapy to treat symptoms related to cancer, such as cough, shortness of breath, bronchial obstruction and chest pain. However, the exact treatment approach can vary from doctor to doctor. This variation caused the Guidelines Subcommittee of ASTRO's Clinical Affairs and Quality Committee (CAQC) to identify the use of palliative thoracic (or chest) radiation therapy as a high-priority topic needing an evidence-based guideline.

This panel was co-chaired by George Rodrigues, MD, MSc, a radiation oncologist and clinician scientist at London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario, Canada, and Benjamin Movsas, MD, chairman of radiation oncology at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

"Radiation therapy can be extremely helpful to alleviate symptoms caused by lung cancer, such as shortness of breath and chest pain," Dr. Rodrigues said.

source: ASTRO

Robotic Couch Provides Extra Degree of Precision for Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Cancer

NEW YORK, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuracy in radiation therapy demands careful targeting and patient positioning – precision measured in millimeters. The Farber Center for Radiation Oncology, the first and only freestanding cancer center of its kind in Manhattan, is among the first treatment centers to adopt Elekta's HexaPOD™ evo RT system, a unique fully robotic patient positioning system that enables clinicians to fine-tune the patient's treatment position not only in three dimensions (x, y and z), but also pitch, roll and yaw. These six independent degrees of freedom enable doctors to easily reposition patients, which decreases treatment time and achieves maximum accuracy.

"The HexaPOD system is just one more smart way for us to provide the most accurate – and therefore, least invasive – radiation treatment possible," says Dr. Leonard Farber, Radiation Oncologist and founder of the Farber Center, which has been using the new HexaPOD system in patient treatments.

"The imaging technology on our Elekta Infinity™ treatment system allows us to detect any organ movement before therapy with the patient in the treatment position. Then, HexaPOD helps us make extra, minute position changes to obtain the most precise treatment possible – zeroing in on the target, while also avoiding radiation exposure to normal healthy tissue to the greatest extent possible."

source: PR Newswire

Radiation at Time of Lumpectomy May Offer Faster, More Precise Treatment for Breast Cancer Patients

CHICAGO, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwestern Medicine physicians are currently utilizing a new treatment option for breast cancer that allows women to receive a full dose of radiation therapy during breast conserving surgery. Traditionally, women who opt to have a lumpectomy must first have surgery then undergo approximately six weeks of radiation. This schedule can be challenging for women who have busy schedules or do not have access to a center offering radiation therapy. In some cases, the demanding schedule causes women to not comply with the recommended course of treatment, increasing their risk for cancer recurrence. Intraoperative radiation therapy combines lumpectomy and the full course of radiation during a two and half hour operation.

"With this technique, the radiation oncologist will be in the operating room administering radiation to the tumor bed immediately following the surgeon's removal of the tumor," said William Small, Jr., MD, vice chairman radiation oncology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and professor of radiation oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Instead of waiting a month to start the radiation therapy, it will take place immediately. A patient will wake up from surgery and have received the full amount of radiation therapy that is typically administered over six weeks."

Currently, a breast cancer patient first sees a surgeon to remove the tumor and then is referred to a radiation oncologist for follow up radiotherapy. Intraoperative radiation therapy allows physicians to deliver radiotherapy at the time of surgery directly to the area where the cancer was removed. Using a system called IntraBeam®, the radiation oncologist is now able to be in the operating room with the surgical oncologist, delivering the entire dose of radiation during surgery.

source: PR Newsire

Elekta Software Making Strong Inroads in Clinics Providing Proton Therapy for Patients with Cancer

VILLIGEN, Switzerland, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland and Elekta are collaborating to further develop treatment planning and oncology information systems (OIS) for proton therapy, a form of external beam radiation that uses protons instead of X-rays or electrons to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases.

PSI integrated Elekta's XiO® treatment planning system and MOSAIQ® OIS into its Centre for Proton Therapy to manage the flow of information and image data between treatment delivery, treatment planning, treatment simulation and the patient's electronic medical record. In clinical use for nearly a decade, XiO is in use at more proton and carbon ion facilities than any commercial vendor with a similar product. Elekta recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for XiO to plan spot scanning, a proton therapy delivery method that involves constructing a highly conformal placement of dose to the tumor by using thousands of small individual beamlets instead of a single large beam.

"Through XiO, Elekta provides a combination of advanced tools for scanned proton beam therapy. Elekta also provides a clear road map to further develop intensity modulated, image guided and adaptive proton therapy," says Antony Lomax, Ph.D., Professor and Head of Medical Physics at the Center for Proton Therapy at PSI. "A deciding factor in entering into this relationship was Elekta's willingness to leverage the significant experience of our team to increase the capabilities of XiO proton planning."

source: Elekta

Statins make radiation more effective at curing prostate cancer

Fairfax, Va., March 23, 2011 - Men with high-risk prostate cancer who take statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol while receiving radiation therapy are less likely to have their cancer return than patients who do not take these medications, according to a study published in the March issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

In the study, 1,681 men with high-risk, localized prostate cancer were treated with radiation therapy between 1995 and 2007. Of them, 382 (23 percent) were taking statin medication at diagnosis and throughout the treatment. Statins are a class of drugs used to lower the cholesterol level in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease. The median follow-up time was approximately six years.

Researchers found that the men taking statins were less like to relapse than other patients. At five years, 11 percent of men taking statins saw their cancer return compared to 17 percent of patients not taking the medication. At eight years, 17 percent of men on statins had a relapse compared to 26 percent not taking the drug.

"In our retrospective study, we have demonstrated that statin use during radiotherapy is associated with improved biochemical tumor control among high-risk patients," Michael J. Zelefsky, M.D., the senior author of the study and a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said. "This study, along with other emerging studies, strongly suggests that statin use improves outcomes in patients treated with definitive radiation therapy."

source: ASTRO

Experimental radioprotective drug safe for lung cancer patients, says Pitt study

PITTSBURGH, March 22 – Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer can safely take an experimental oral drug intended to protect healthy tissue from the effects of radiation, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and published in this month's issue of Human Gene Therapy.

The findings support further clinical testing of the agent, called manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plasmid liposome, to determine if giving it alongside chemotherapy and radiation will prevent damage to normal cells that is the typical cause of side effects in cancer treatment, said senior investigator Joel S. Greenberger, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Pitt School of Medicine, and co-director of the lung and esophageal cancer program at UPCI.

"If we can sufficiently protect tissues that are normal, we should be able to deliver our cancer treatments more effectively and perhaps even at higher doses," he explained. "Our aim is to improve the quality of life of patients by minimizing side effects while providing the best treatment for their cancers."

For the safety study, 10 patients with inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer took oral doses of MnSOD plasmid liposome twice weekly for a total of 14 doses during seven weeks of conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The agent, which boosts levels of an antioxidant the body makes naturally, is made of fat droplets containing the gene that produces MnSOD. When swallowed, it is absorbed by cells in the esophagus, which is a common site for severe side effects during radiation treatment for lung cancer.

source: EurekAlert

Toshiba's Aquilion Large Bore CT System Improves Accuracy Of Radiation Oncology Planning At Great River Medical Center

TUSTIN, Calif., March 7, 2011 – When planning radiation therapy treatments for cancer, it is critical to accurately target the tumor and spare healthy tissue. In order to achieve this, a CT simulation of the patient in the ideal treatment position, with excellent image quality and without truncating anatomy, is required. Standard bore CT systems constrain patient positioning by limiting the use of positioning devices like inclined breast boards, because the bore and scan field-of-view cannot accommodate a patient positioned off-center. Furthermore, the anatomy in the images of large patients is frequently clipped by the small field-of-view of standard bore CTs, potentially compromising treatment plans and the ability to use advanced techniques like IMRT and arc treatments. The Cancer Care Center at Great River Medical Center in West Burlington, Iowa, is using Toshiba America Medical Systems’ AquilionTM Large Bore CT system to minimize the constraints imposed by standard bore CTs on its treatment plans.

The Aquilion Large Bore helps Great River Medical Center treat oncology patients, including breast, prostate and colon cancer patients and enables physicians to treat patients with IMRT. The system’s large bore allows more positioning options for patients such as with their arms over their head or their legs in a frog leg position, allowing Great River’s therapists to capture the studies needed to optimally treat all patients.

source: Toshiba Medical

Accuray to Acquire TomoTherapy for Approximately $277 Million in Cash and Stock

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and MADISON, Wis., March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, and TomoTherapy Incorporated (Nasdaq: TOMO), creator of advanced radiation therapy solutions for cancer care, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Accuray will acquire TomoTherapy for $4.80 per share in cash and stock, or a total of approximately $277 million.

The transaction combines the best-in-class technologies from two high-growth companies to create the premier radiation oncology company. The companies currently serve complementary patient populations that are treated by the same medical specialty. The combined company will offer advanced patient-focused technologies for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, ranging from high-precision radiosurgery for early-stage and localized disease to image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy for more advanced disease sites throughout the body.

The combined company will have an installed base of more than 550 units in 32 countries, and more than 1,100 employees, with a global sales presence and the scale to provide excellent customer service.

source: PR Newswire

Varian Medical Systems and ScandiDos AB Announce Agreement

UPPSALA, Sweden, March 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems and ScandiDos AB hereby announce that the companies have signed a non-exclusive distributor agreement. The agreement covers the ScandiDos Delta4PT pre-treatment verification system, for use with Varian's RapidArc® radiotherapy technology, the TrueBeam™ system, and Varian's technology for IMRT. The agreement allows Varian and its affiliates world-wide to offer Delta4PT to their customers, providing additional solutions for fast and accurate verification of complex radiation therapy technologies.

ScandiDos Delta4PT QA system is a quality assurance tool used to test radiotherapy treatment plans to help insure that they will result in the desired dose distribution before actual treatments commence. It allows the users to quickly verify and approve the delivery of complex radiotherapy treatment plans by simulating treatments and generating real dose measurements in relation to a three-dimensional target volume. Delta4PT has been used in the validation of new treatment techniques such as Varian's RapidArc. Delta4PT has been in clinical use for IMRT and arc therapy QA since 2006 and is used today in clinics world-wide.

source: PR Newswire

Arrival of 220-Ton Cyclotron Marks a Major Milestone in Construction of Metro New York’s First Proton Therapy Center

SOMERSET, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A 220-ton cyclotron, the core of what will soon be New Jersey’s most advanced radiation treatment center, will be ending a 3,700-mile journey that began in Belgium, arriving at the construction site of the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J., March 1.

“This is an important day and a significant milestone for the proton center and patients with cancer from throughout New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area”

The cyclotron, which accelerates the protons to two-thirds the speed of light before they are formed into a treatment beam, is the core piece of equipment used in proton therapy, an alternative to standard X-ray radiation for the treatment of cancer. Because of its precision, proton therapy spares more healthy tissue than standard radiation therapy and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment side effects. The Center is the result of a collaboration between ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. (ProCure), Princeton Radiation Oncology , and CentraState Healthcare System, and will be the first proton therapy center in New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.

“This is an important day and a significant milestone for the proton center and patients with cancer from throughout New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area,” said Hadley Ford, CEO of ProCure. “Construction is advancing ahead of schedule since our groundbreaking last April and we anticipate we will be treating patients by early 2012.”

source: Business Wire

ViewRay Receives FDA 510(k) Marketing Clearance for Treatment Planning and Delivery Software

CLEVELAND, Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ViewRay™, Inc., a privately held medical device company, has received U.S. FDA marketing clearance for its radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery software. The software is a critical component of the company's new radiation therapy system, which combines simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging and radiotherapy delivery. Now in the late stages of development, the integrated ViewRay system is currently available only as a non–human use research system. The company is working to secure FDA clearance for commercial distribution of the system for clinical use.

"FDA clearance of our software represents a significant milestone in the development of the ViewRay system," said ViewRay President and CEO Gregory M. Ayers, MD, PhD. "In the past year ViewRay has achieved a string of notable successes, in funding and partnerships as well as product development. It's exciting to see such progress with a product we believe will offer an advancement in radiation therapy." The ViewRay system is being designed to provide continuous soft-tissue MRI during cancer treatment so that clinicians can see precisely where the radiation is being delivered.

ViewRay holds the exclusive worldwide license for its combination of MRI and radiotherapy technologies. The company recently secured $20 million in Series C financing intended to move the ViewRay system through the final development and regulatory processes, and toward the goal of commercialization and placement in major medical centers.

source: PR Newswire

Protective strategy shields primate ovaries from radiation-therapy-induced damage

A strategy developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers to shield the ovaries of female mammals from the damaging effects of radiation and chemotherapy has passed an important milestone. A collaborative study with investigators from Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility, reports that brief pre-exposure of the ovaries to an FDA-approved agent called FTY720 preserved the fertility of female rhesus monkeys exposed to potentially lethal doses of radiation. All of the treated animals have had successful pregnancies and delivered healthy offspring.

"When we started working on this project in the mid-1990s, the only strategy available to preserve the fertility of cancer patients was collecting and freezing eggs or ovarian tissue for assisted reproduction, neither of which offered much in terms of successful pregnancies," explains Jonathan Tilly, PhD, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology in the MGH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, senior author of the Fertility and Sterility article. "Since then we have brought the concept of protecting the ovaries from damage caused by anticancer treatments all the way from an idea on paper, through a decade of mouse studies, to a proof of concept in living primates."

source: EurekAlert

New Zealand Hospital Uses Radiation Therapy Method from Elekta to Shorten Treatment Times

Patients with prostate cancer typically are required to lie still for seven to eight minutes with a full bladder during a therapy session, a process repeated 37 times over a treatment course. However, for clinicians at St. George’s Cancer Care Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, providing “typical” prostate cancer therapy wouldn’t do. They acquired Elekta technology that enables them to deliver prostate therapy in half the per session time, improving patient comfort. In December, only nine months after opening, St. George’s used Elekta VMAT for the first time to treat a 67-year-old patient with prostate cancer.

“We used a single non-stop arc of the radiation beam and just under three minutes of actual therapy time,” notes David McKay, Principal Physicist at St. George’s located on New Zealand’s South Island and the second center in Australasia to use Elekta VMAT. He is about three-quarters of the way through his treatment course and is doing very well.”

The arc-based technique was part of a comprehensive acquisition of Elekta technology by St. George’s, which also included two Elekta Synergy® linear accelerators, Monaco® treatment planning for Elekta VMAT and MOSAIQ® oncology information system. Together, these products represented a complete VMAT solution for St. George’s, McKay maintains.

source: Elekta

ASTRO publishes palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases guideline

Fairfax, Va., February 17, 2011 - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Clinical Affairs and Quality Committee has developed a guideline for the use of radiation therapy in treating bone metastases. The guideline will be published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of ASTRO.

Bone metastases are caused when a malignant tumor spreads to the bone. They can lead to debilitating effects including pain, fractures and paralysis due to spinal cord compression. The care of these patients requires collaboration between several types of cancer treatment specialists.

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) provides successful pain relief in 50 to 80 percent of patients with little risk of side effects. However, the widespread variation in practice patterns between radiation oncologists presented an opportunity to standardize care through the construction of a formal treatment guideline.

source: American Society for Radiation Oncology

UT Southwestern launches clinical trial for treatment of breast cancer using CyberKnife

DALLAS – Feb. 15, 2011 – Breast-cancer patient Kristin Wiginton is the first to be treated at UT Southwestern Medical Center with high-beam radiation using the Accuray CyberKnife System, which offers improved cosmetic results, less radiation exposure to surrounding tissue and a shorter treatment period.

Dr. Wiginton is among 45 participants in a UT Southwestern-based clinical trial – the first of its kind in the Southwest – investigating use of the radiation delivery system for breast cancer. Her post-lumpectomy therapy lasted one-third the duration of a typical radiation session for a breast-cancer patient.

While CyberKnife has been used at UT Southwestern since 1997, it primarily has been targeted for tumors of the brain and spine.

"If this had not worked out for me, I would have gone with six and a half weeks of traditional radiation," said Dr. Wiginton, 45, an associate professor of health studies at Texas Woman's University.

Instead, her treatment took less than two weeks and consisted of five 90-minute sessions every two to three days. Her final treatment was Feb. 3 at UT Southwestern University Hospital - Zale Lipshy.

Radiation therapy following a lumpectomy is commonly recommended to remove potential residual cancer, said Dr. Robert Timmerman, professor of radiation oncology and neurological surgery who is leading the study. Current radiation protocols for breast cancer, however, can be long and uncomfortable. Shorter courses treating smaller breast volumes, called partial breast irradiation, have shown considerable promise in clinical studies, he said. The most common partial breast irradiation approach, brachytherapy, requires a catheter implant via a surgical procedure. Another method delivers the treatment using conventional radiotherapy equipment but may lead to less-pleasing cosmetic results.

source: EurekAlert

University Clinic Heidelberg Introduces New TomoTherapy® TomoHD™ Radiation Therapy System

February 10, 2011 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, today announced that University Clinic Heidelberg, one of the top radiation oncology institutes in the world, is expanding its cancer treatment capabilities with the introduction of the TomoHD™ radiation therapy system. This is the first TomoHD system to be installed in Germany. Patient treatments commenced on February 3, 2011.

In March 2006, University Clinic Heidelberg became the first facility in Germany to offer helical image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) using TomoTherapy’s Hi·Art® treatment system. The addition of the TomoHD radiation therapy system almost five years later will provide clinicians more flexibility to treat a broader patient population.

By combining TomoHelical™ and TomoDirect™ delivery modes, the TomoHD treatment system is a multi-purpose treatment system designed to efficiently target a broad range of cases requiring radiation therapy. The system’s TomoHelical technique allows for continuous 360-degree delivery of radiation for complex treatment volumes, while the TomoDirect modality enables clinicians to choose multiple discrete angles for highly efficient treatment of more common targets.

source: TomoTherapy

Physicians in India Show Intense Interest in Arc Based Radiation Therapy

The prospect of dramatically increasing radiation therapy treatment speed using dynamic, arc-based radiation therapy is capturing the imagination of Indian clinicians, if Dr. Vivek Mehta’s recent experience is any indication. Dr. Mehta, a radiation oncologist at Swedish Cancer Institute (Seattle, Wash., USA) gave three lectures on Elekta VMAT at the 32nd National Annual Conference of the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India Conference (AROICON) Nov. 25-28, 2010, in Patna, India, which drew capacity attendance and provoked vibrant interaction and discussion among participants.

“VMAT is an emerging technique that is coming to India,” says Dr. Mehta, director, Center for Advanced Targeted Radiation Therapies at Swedish Cancer Institute. “Due to Swedish’s leadership in implementing VMAT, it was appealing to the AROICON committee to have us talk about it to their members.”

Dr. Mehta presented results from Swedish Cancer Institute’s first 100 patients treated with Elekta VMAT. One presentation was on non-stereotactic VMAT, one covered high-dose, hypofractionated VMAT using a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) technique for lung tumors, and a third lecture discussed general VMAT use at an invitation-only Elekta symposium.

Many attendees were as interested in how VMAT compared with IMRT as they were about efficiencies of treatment speed.

"Clinicians asked whether VMAT is better than IMRT, in which clinical cases IMRT might be superior to VMAT and what planning challenges VMAT may present," he says. “What made our presentation interesting to the attendees was the actual proof from our center. For the first 100 patients we treated with VMAT we ran a comparison IMRT plan. We could show how we did on conformality, speed and QA, and how many times we ended up using one, two or three arcs and how long each plan took to deliver based on the number of arcs.”

source: Elekta

Some Radiation Techniques Safer than Others

In the first high-precision dosimetry study to compare five new radiotherapy techniques for breast cancer, Sunnybrook researchers find breast IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) and virtual wedge significantly safer than an older technique of the metallic, physical wedge, for whole breast radiotherapy.

For partial breast radiotherapy, low energy source brachytherapy seed implants and 3D-CRT (conformal radiotherapy) appear safer than temporary 192Ir (Iridium) HDR (high-dose rate) brachytherapy.

Traditional radiotherapy use triangular-shaped blocks made from metallic material. The blocks serve to even out the radiation dose inside the breast during treatment. The blocks scatter the radiation, which is often absorbed in other parts of the body. Since 2000, in Ontario, the physical wedge technique has been replaced by the virtual wedge technique and eventually breast IMRT.

Both IMRT and virtual wedge techniques use computer-simulated fields and a motion of the radiation beam jaws, to better target therapy to the affected breast.

Since 2003, in the United States and Canada, selected patients have been offered treatment to part of the affected breast using the popular technique of HDR brachytherapy. The technique involves the temporary placement for a few minutes, twice a day and for five consecutive days, of a very intense and miniature source of 192Iridium inside a tube or balloon catheter implanted inside the surgical cavity. An alternate technique pioneered at Sunnybrook, involves the permanent insertion of low energy radioactive seeds under light sedation in a one-hour procedure.

source:Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center

100 Years of Radiotherapy but public still in the dark over the treatment

Fewer than one in ten people think radiotherapy is a modern cancer treatment according to the results of a survey* published today (Friday).

The research, involving more than 2000 UK adults, highlights how little people understand about radiotherapy - a treatment which helps cure four in ten patients, more than conventional chemotherapy.

While 47 per cent of those asked thought targeted cancer drugs, like Herceptin, were modern, only nine per cent appreciated that radiotherapy is also a modern, cutting-edge treatment.

New, more targeted radiotherapy techniques such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) are transforming the lives of cancer patients. These new ways of delivering radiotherapy mean cancer cells are targeted more precisely, increasing cure rates, and patients experience fewer side effects.

But the survey revealed that only 15 per cent of people think radiotherapy is precise. And 40 per cent of people describe radiotherapy as frightening compared to just 16 per cent who said the same for targeted cancer drugs.

Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize for her work on radium in 1911 - exactly 100 years ago – and was one of the leading pioneers in radiation as a cancer therapy. Radiotherapy is now recommended for half of all cancer patients as part of their treatment.

source: Cancer Research UK

ASTRO applauds Maryland's ruling to uphold patient choice

(Media-Newswire.com) - The American Society for Radiation Oncology ( ASTRO ) is very pleased with yesterday's ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals preserving strong patient protections against abusive physician self-referral in radiation therapy and advanced diagnostic imaging.

"Today's ruling represents a victory for patients in Maryland. We hope this decision will jump start congressional action to ensure that all Americans can make independent treatment decisions based on quality care, not perverse financial incentives," Laura I. Thevenot, ASTRO CEO, said.

ASTRO believes it is wrong to create business enterprises centered on rewarding physicians for making referrals, yet we are increasingly seeing business ventures designed to generate additional revenues within a group practice by incorporating radiation therapy. We believe these arrangements, allowed by the federal self-referral law's "in-office ancillary services exception" erode patient choice and can result in dramatic increases in one form of radiation therapy, while the use of other clinically appropriate, significantly less expensive treatments, such as radiation seed implants or even "watchful waiting," have declined or disappeared. This may also lead to unnecessary Medicare spending. ASTRO's position is that radiation therapy should be removed from the law's exception, unless provided by a robust multispecialty clinic.

source: Media Newswire

Erchonia Laser May Help Cancer Patients with Radiation Treatments

MCKINNEY, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Erchonia Corporation, the global leader in low level laser healthcare applications, today announces results of a pilot study testing the ability of low level lasers to reduce the negative side-effects of radiation therapy for cancer patients.

“The goal is to prove to physicians and patients that a safe and effective treatment is available to suppress the common but severe adverse events of radiation therapy”

Patients who undergo aggressive cancer therapies must also endure a host of painful side-effects. An estimated 80% suffer from severe toxicity with nearly 50% experiencing side-effects so intense they choose to terminate their cancer treatment before completion.

The pilot investigation assessed the efficacy of an Erchonia low-level laser to combat these adverse reactions. All patients who received the laser treatment revealed a significant improvement in pain, dermatitis and oral mucositis caused by radiation therapy.

Dr. David Bryant, an oncologist at the Via Christi Medical Center in Kansas, performed the study and used the Erchonia laser device to treat cancer patients who were experiencing a significant amount of pain. After a few treatments with the laser, patients ready to abandon radiation were able to complete their regimen in full.

Dr. Bryant remarks, “The study was designed to show a reduction in pain, improved treatment retention, and reduction in treatment toxicity. It was incredible to see such a significant reduction in negative side effects. The resolution of these symptoms could be the difference between cancer treatment success and failure.”

source: Erchonia

Elekta Receives CE Mark for Fraxion, Immobilization System Designed to Improve Accuracy and Precision in Cranial Cancer Treatments

The Fraxion head frame helps ensure accuracy and precision in stereotactic radiation therapy of cancer targets in the brain and cranium. Elekta’s Fraxion is the first to introduce an innovative system that integrates all proven cranial immobilization options in a single solution.

“The advantage of Fraxion head fixation is that it is a stereotactic system that can be used for nearly any patient,” says Prof. Dr. Meinhard Nevinny-Stickel, a radiation oncologist in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck (Austria). “The patient can be immobilized with a thermoplastic mask, with the proven vacuum mouthpiece, or even a combination of both systems. Precise repositioning is possible with easily accessible adjustment screws—which make it much easier to fixate the patient in the treatment room.”

The partial and full head thermoplastic masks provide alternative immobilization options for non-invasive setup, without compromising accuracy. Combining the thermoplastic mask with the vacuum mouthpiece increases flexibility in setup options, allowing optimal setup based on the patient’s needs.

source: Elekta

Swedish Cancer Institute Installs First TomoTherapy® Radiation Therapy System in Seattle Metropolitan Area

MADISON, WI--(Marketwire - January 24, 2011) - TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, today announced that Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI) has installed the first TomoTherapy® radiation therapy system in the Seattle area at its new, community-based Radiation Treatment Center on the Ballard, Wash. campus.

"We selected the TomoTherapy system because it's a promising technology with many advantages -- from the complete integration of treatment planning, imaging and treatment delivery, to its flexibility in treating a wide range of cancers," said Dan Landis, M.D., Ph.D., the lead physician at the SCI facility on the Swedish/Ballard campus. "In a large system like ours, we want to be able to offer our patients the very best care in every situation, and TomoTherapy technology gives us the ability to do so."

The TomoTherapy radiation therapy system is the only one of its kind to be built on a CT imaging platform, which allows clinicians to see the tumor immediately before treatment and adjust radiation delivery in real-time. The ring-like design enables helical delivery of radiation from all angles around a patient, and features beam-shaping technology specifically designed for delivering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). These features provide clinicians with greater control of how they can conform radiation delivery to complex tumors, while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

source: Tomotherapy

ASTRO publishes first issue of Practical Radiation Oncology

Fairfax, Va., January 19, 2011 - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is pleased to announce it has published its first issue of Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), a new medical journal whose mission is to improve the quality of radiation oncology practice. Published by leading scientific publisher Elsevier, the issue is both available in print and online at www.practicalradonc.org.

Under the guidance of editor-in-chief W. Robert Lee, M.D., M.S., M.Ed., a professor of radiation oncology and program director at Duke University in Durham, N.C., PRO is a natural complement to the Society's primary research journal, the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics (also called the Red Journal), and aims to be what Medline defines as a clinical or practice journal. These types of journals have as their dominant purpose either documenting the state of current practice, providing background for those in training or the continuing education of practitioners.

"I am very pleased with our first issue and I am humbled so many of my colleagues have taken the time to submit important manuscripts as well as volunteer their time to become reviewers," Dr. Lee said. "Highlights of the first issue include two articles on the importance of safety in radiation oncology, a timely and important topic for our specialty. We would all do well to read these articles, reflect on the content and consider improvements in our practices. Another must-read article in this issue is an excellent summary of radiation-induced optic neuropathy; an article I view as a model for future manuscripts."

source: American Society for Radiation Oncology

HIV-positive head and neck cancer patients benefit from radiation therapy

(Media-Newswire.com) - HIV-positive head and neck cancer patients respond well to radiation therapy treatments and experience similar toxicity rates as non-HIV-positive patients, despite prior reports to the contrary, according to a study in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology ( ASTRO ).

Patients with HIV have a significantly higher risk of developing some types of cancers; however, since the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy ( HAART ) began in the mid-1990s, the instances of AIDS-related cancer have greatly decreased. This has alternately caused a higher incidence of these patients developing non-AIDS-related cancers, including those originating from the head and neck.

Radiation therapy constitutes a current standard treatment for head and neck cancer, but there has been very little investigation into how radiation therapy affects HIV-positive patients. Traditionally, aggressive treatment such as radiation therapy has been used sparingly in this population due to concerns regarding acute and late complications. This newly presented research sought to determine the feasibility of radiation therapy and the likelihood of cure for HIV-positive patients with head and neck cancer.

The three-year estimates of overall survival and local-regional control were 78 percent and 92 percent, respectively. Grade 3+ toxicity was reported by 58 percent of patients, but this did not appear worse than the standard rate seen in HIV-negative patients.

source: Media Newswire

Intensity-Modulated Radiotheraphy Protects Saliva Function and Improves Quality of Life for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Compared with Conventional Radiotherapy

(PressZoom) - Treating head and neck cancer with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) that spares the major salivary glands, reduces xerostomia (dry mouth which can affect speech and swallowing) and improves quality of life compared with conventional radiotherapy, according to the self-reported experience of patients published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.

These findings, from the largest randomised trial of IMRT in head and neck cancer so far, will improve the function and quality of life for thousands of patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC), the most common type of head and neck cancer worldwide.

Conventional radiotherapy for head and neck cancers damages the parotid salivary glands which secrete saliva, and dry mouth is the most frequently reported late side-effect. A lack of saliva prevents patients from eating solid food and speaking normally, and can accelerate development of tooth decay.

In contrast, IMRT can deliver precise radiation to tumours while minimising exposure to healthy surrounding tissues. Small phase 2 studies have shown better saliva function in patients given IMRT compared with conventional radiotherapy.

The PARSPORT randomised phase 3 trial was funded by Cancer Research UK and designed to confirm whether IMRT reduces the incidence of severe dry mouth compared with conventional radiotherapy. Between January 2003 and December 2007, 94 patients with HNSCC were enrolled from six radiotherapy centres across the UK and randomly assigned to IMRT (47 patients) or conventional radiotherapy (47).

source: Press Zoom

First Five-Year Outcomes Published on CyberKnife Radiosurgery for Prostate Cancer

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today the first published five-year outcomes on low risk prostate cancer patients treated with the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System. The multi-center study, published in the January 10, 2011 issue of Radiation Oncology, found that 93 percent of patients had no recurrence of their cancer at a median follow-up of five years, a rate that compares favorably to results obtained with other treatment modalities, including surgery and conventional radiation therapy.

The study, "Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer: Five-Year Outcomes," combined data from 41 patients treated at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. and Naples Community Hospital in Naples, Fla. with a median follow-up of five years. The paper represents the longest published study to date on the use of CyberKnife radiosurgery, also referred to as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), as a treatment approach for clinically localized, low-risk prostate cancer. In addition to demonstrating high five-year disease-free survival rates, the study also found generally low levels of urinary and rectal toxicity following the five-day course of treatment, concluding that CyberKnife radiosurgery can achieve high rates of disease control while sparing critical structures, thereby minimizing undesirable side effects typically associated with prostate cancer treatments and preserving patients' quality of life.

source: Accuray

Varian Medical Systems Receives 510(k) Clearance for its Proton Therapy System

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Varian Proton Therapy System which generates protons for precision radiotherapy of lesions, tumors, and conditions anywhere where radiation treatment is indicated. It is the first working system capable of delivering precise intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) using pencil beam scanning technology.

"With this clearance, we have reached a significant milestone in the development of the Varian Particle Therapy (VPT) business and technology," said Lester Boeh, vice president of emerging businesses for Varian Medical Systems. "It means our clinical partners will be able to treat patients as soon as their systems are commissioned without the need to seek individual site-specific clearances. This will make it easier for customers to secure financing for their projects."

Varian is actively marketing its system under the ProBeam™ brand, and it has been selected as the preferred supplier for several proton therapy projects, including the Scripps Proton Therapy Center which is now under construction in San Diego where treatments are scheduled to begin in 2013.

source: Varian Medical Systems