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