Radiation Therapy News

Study Highlights CyberKnife SBRT Benefits for Treatment of Central Lung Tumors

2012-01-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

SUNNYVALE, Calif., January 26, 2012 – Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, announced today publication of a study demonstrating the benefits of the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System in treating central lung tumors. Historically, the treatment of central lung tumors using gantry based Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) has been challenging and required a great deal of accuracy to avoid risks of damaging critical structures, such as the airway, esophagus and heart that can result in serious complications including death, leaving patients with fewer, less effective and sometimes only palliative options. This study, published in the January 2012 online issue of Radiotherapy & Oncology (commonly known as the Green Journal), demonstrated that the CyberKnife System, which leverages the Synchrony® Respiratory Tracking System and Lung Optimized Treatment to non-invasively track and correct for respiratory motion, allows clinicians to deliver lung SBRT to patients with central lung lesions with minimal toxicity, sparing surrounding healthy tissue, such as the esophagus, trachea and heart while also providing high levels of tumor control.

The study, “Outcome of Four-Dimensional Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Centrally Located Lung Tumors,” reports on 56 patients (39 with primary lung cancer and 17 with metastatic tumors) treated with CyberKnife lung SBRT who were ineligible for surgery or chemotherapy, refused surgery or chemotherapy, or had an inoperable tumor. Local tumor control was 91 percent for the entire group at one year and 76 percent for the entire group at two years. The analysis of toxicity rates demonstrated that there were no serious complications reporting no acute grade three esophagitis, no grade four (life threatening/disabling) or five (fatal) toxicities in the patients treated.

source: Accuray

High Dose Rate Electronic Radiation Skin Cancer Treatment Now Available in US

2012-01-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

01/23/2012 // San Jose, CA, USA // PeterWendt // Michael David

California Skin Institute founder Greg S. Morganroth, M.D., announced today the addition of electronic brachytherapy (eBx) to the skin cancer treatment options provided by Silicon Valley’s largest dermatology practice. This new treatment technique, a cutting-edge development allowing for extremely conformal, focused, high-dose radiation to be administered to isolated areas, completes the full spectrum of skin cancer treatments offered by California Skin Institute and their team of dermatologists, Mohs surgeons, radiation oncologists, dermatopathologists, and plastic surgeons.

Traditional options for skin cancer treatment are categorized as surgical (traditional excision and Mohs Surgery) and non-surgical (topical drugs and radiation therapy). Localized radiation treatment provides high cure rates, pain-free treatment, and excellent cosmetic results in tandem with a long-proven history of successful use.

The electronic brachytherapy now administered by California Skin Institute is a state-of-the-art alternative to more traditional radiation therapies found in hospital settings. California Skin Institute’s radiation technologists and board-certified radiation oncologists utilize a miniaturized x-ray source to deliver accurate, high-dose radiation to skin cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.

source: Wired Pr News

Varian Medical Systems Showcases Advanced Radiotherapy Systems for Treating Cancer at 2012 Arab Health Congress and Exhibition

2012-01-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Varian Medical Systems VAR +0.01% , the world leader in radiotherapy, is spotlighting its family of advanced treatment machines and integrated software solutions at the 2012 Arab Health Congress and Exhibition over the next four days. The Varian exhibit (Sheikh Saeed Hall, Booth No. S3-E40) focuses on latest developments and future innovations in Varian's complete line of medical linear accelerators - including the fast and precise TrueBeam system - along with Eclipse(TM) treatment planning software, ARIA® oncology information software, proton therapy systems, brachytherapy solutions, and its full range of X-ray tubes and digital image detectors.

"We are excited to be able to showcase our advanced treatment, software and imaging systems at this prestigious event," says Rolf Staehelin, Varian's director international marketing for EMEA and APAC. "Varian is the clear market leader in radiotherapy and radiosurgery in the Gulf Corporate Council (GCC) countries and is at the forefront of technology advances that help clinicians benefit patients by delivering faster and more efficient treatments. We are looking forward to sharing our excitement about these developments with the radiation oncology community in this key region."

Designed to advance the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, gynaecologic, liver, head and neck, intracranial and other types of cancer, Varian's TrueBeam(TM) system was engineered from the ground up to treat tumors with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

source: Market Watch

Brainlab’s ExacTrac® System Achieves Major Sales Milestone

2012-01-16T21:22:00.000-05:00

Munich, January 11, 2012 – Today Brainlab announced the 500th sale of its ExacTrac® patient positioning system for frameless radiosurgery. The scale of uptake highlights physicians continued focus on adopting clinically proven systems for high-precision cancer treatments and their ongoing investment in ensuring access to advanced radiation therapy for patients.

The ExacTrac® system, first developed almost a decade ago, has been proven consistent and reliable in supporting accurate frameless radiosurgery for patients with tumors of the brain, spine and beyond. The system has since been internationally recognized as offering high accuracy, flexibility and increased patient comfort during treatment.

ExacTrac® works by combining with advanced radiosurgery treatment systems to allow physicians to treat cancers using a frameless radiosurgery technique. This offers a valuable alternative to the historical practice that requires immobilization with an invasive head ring affixed to the skull. The advanced image guidance and computer-driven optimization of ExacTrac® enables physicians to control every step of the treatment pathway, improving workflow and flexibility of treatment planning.

Samuel Ryu, M.D., Director of Radiation Oncology at the Henry Ford Health System, USA, comments on the evolution of cancer treatment to frameless radiosurgery:

'We have transitioned to frameless radiosurgery after conducting thorough scientific verifications of the precision of the technique. We have now widely adopted the technique and are applying protocols to treat more than 99 percent of our patients frameless.'

source: Brainlab

Evolving URMC Studies Uphold Precision Radiation to Control Cancer

2012-01-12T11:47:00.001-05:00

The University of Rochester Medical Center has been a leader in the study of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the past decade, and two of the latest research projects show that SBRT is emerging as an important tool for more people with advanced cancer.

Alan W. Katz, M.D., M.P.H., and Michael T. Milano, M.D., Ph.D., in separate studies in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, report that SBRT can lead to long-term survival for liver cancer patients who are awaiting a transplant, and for select patients with early metastasis of many types of cancer.

Their work is the latest from a body of research conducted at the URMC’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, which was among the first institutions in the country to use SBRT. The therapy delivers high doses of radiation precisely to the tumor without harming adjacent tissues. Doctors use a coordinate system to map their target, and then deliver multiple, intersecting radiation beams at the spot, like several flashlights focused in one area. Because of their early use of this technology, Wilmot scientists have been able to study patients for longer periods under a variety of circumstances.
Michael T. Milano, M.D.

“Although we have known for quite some time that it is possible to treat metastatic disease, the technology needed to catch up to the concept,” said Milano, an associate professor of Radiation Oncology at Wilmot. “Now, physicians have a greater comfort level with SBRT due to treatment and imaging technology that can pinpoint smaller tumors, and data from our institution and others showing that SBRT works very well in certain cases.”

source: University of Rochester Medical Center

Varian Medical Systems Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Software that Speeds Up Radiotherapy Treatment Planning

2012-01-11T14:40:00.001-05:00

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for a new radiotherapy treatment planning tool designed to work with the company's market leading Eclipse™ treatment planning software to reduce the amount of time needed for planning advanced treatments.

"In order to create a customized treatment plan, a clinician must take the patient's anatomical images and identify and outline the tumor and nearby organs in a process called contouring. This is critical when specifying what is to be irradiated or protected during radiotherapy treatments," said Jefferson Amacker, director, clinical solutions. "Traditionally, contouring has been a time-consuming process."

Varian has combined two techniques in Smart Segmentation Knowledge Based Contouring, making it possible for clinicians to accomplish the contouring process more quickly:

1) Smart Segmentation, which analyzes anatomical images, drawing on information about human anatomy to identify and outline organs and other structures,
and

2) Knowledge Based Contouring, which allows the clinician to start the planning process by drawing on a library of expertly pre-contoured images that have important anatomical structures already outlined. The clinician then follows a special process for matching these pre-contoured images with those of the patient to create the desired contours.

source: Varian

Study Highlights CyberKnife Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT): Noninvasive Brachytherapy-like Treatment for Prostate Cancer

2012-01-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Accuray Incorporated ARAY -0.45% , the premier radiation oncology company, today announced publication of a study describing the clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) using Accuray's CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System in a manner that uniquely mimics HDR (high dose rate) brachytherapy dosing within the prostate gland. The University of California--San Francisco (UCSF) study, published in the January 2012 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology - Biology - Physics (IJROBP) (commonly known as the Red Journal), employed a radiation dose scheme mimicking that of conventional invasive HDR brachytherapy to deliver high doses of radiation to regions of the prostate known to have a higher burden of prostate cancer cells instead of delivering a single uniform dose to the prostate. Patients with organ confined prostate cancer were treated in four short outpatient treatment sessions. Historically, HDR brachytherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for prostate cancer, but requires the insertion of invasive catheters into the prostate making this treatment difficult for patients and technically challenging for physicians, limiting its widespread adoption. The CyberKnife System is able to easily and quickly mimic this proven treatment in a noninvasive manner because of its ability to easily create and paint complex doses within the prostate.

The study, "Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy as Monotherapy or Post-External Beam Radiotherapy Boost for Prostate Cancer: Technique, Early Toxicity, and PSA Response," reported on 38 patients ranging in age from 54 to 82 years with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Twenty of the 38 patients were treated with CyberKnife SBRT monotherapy and 18 were treated with CyberKnife SBRT boost following external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

source: MarketWatch

Proton therapy effective prostate cancer treatment

2012-01-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

Proton therapy, a type of external beam radiation therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer, according to two new studies published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics (Red Journal), the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) official scientific journal.

In the first study, researchers at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., prospectively studied 211 men with low-, intermediate-, and high-risk prostate cancer. The men were treated with proton therapy, a specialized type of external beam radiation therapy that uses protons instead of X-rays. After a two year follow-up, the research team led by Nancy Mendenhall, MD, of the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, reported that the treatment was effective and that the gastrointestinal and genitourinary side effects were generally minimal.

“This study is important because it will help set normal tissue guidelines in future trials,” Dr. Mendenhall, said.

In the second study, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif., and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group in Philadelphia performed a case-matched analysis comparing high-dose external beam radiation therapy using a combination of photons (X-rays) and protons with brachytherapy (radioactive seed implants).

source: ASTRO

MD's Dispute Study on Breast Cancer Brachytherapy

2011-12-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-19T20:50:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-16T22:02:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-06T10:45:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-30T14:19:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-29T10:51:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-25T21:51:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-18T21:39:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-05-15T16:41:00.000-04:00

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

2011-05-07T11:42:00.000-04:00

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

2011-05-02T19:09:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-18T20:06:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-04T14:17:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-24T12:08:00.002-04:00

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

2011-03-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-01T19:03:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-22T17:55:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-18T13:48:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-02T19:18:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-28T21:05:00.000-05:00

(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

2011-01-26T19:24:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-25T10:10:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-24T17:58:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-20T11:33:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

(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

2011-01-16T12:07:00.001-05:00

(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

2011-01-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

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

iCAD Completes Acquisition of Xoft, Inc.

2010-12-31T13:02:00.000-05:00

NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICAD), an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis and workflow solutions for the early identification of cancer, has completed the previously announced acquisition of Xoft, Inc., developer of the Axxent® eBx™ electronic brachytherapy system. The portable Axxent System, which delivers electronically-controlled radiation therapy directly to cancer sites with minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue, is FDA-cleared for the treatment of early stage breast cancer, endometrial cancer and skin cancer, and for the treatment of other cancers or conditions where radiation therapy is indicated. Xoft’s Axxent technology is approved for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), which can be delivered twice daily for five days or it can be administered immediately following the lumpectomy procedure in only a few minutes with one course of therapy, also known as Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT).

“Our new combined company is well positioned for long-term growth and to accelerate the adoption of new standards of care in oncology”

“Our new combined company is well positioned for long-term growth and to accelerate the adoption of new standards of care in oncology,” said Ken Ferry, President and CEO of iCAD. “By combining our innovative solutions, iCAD and Xoft can empower clinicians to improve patient outcomes through collaborative delivery of more targeted cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.”

In the third quarter of 2010, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) applied for a Category 1 CPT procedure code for single fraction (one dose) Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT). Numerous clinical studies, including the landmark TARGIT-A trial published in The Lancet in June 2010, have supported this treatment option.

source: BusinessWire

Photons vs. Protons For Treatment Of Spinal Cord Gliomas

2010-12-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A study comparing the long-term outcomes of patients with spinal-cord tumors following radiation therapy suggests that certain subsets of patients have better long-term survival. It also suggests that photon-based radiation therapy may result in better survival than proton-beam therapy, even in patients with more favorable characteristics.

This is the first study to report the long-term outcomes of spinal-cord tumor patients treated by modern radiotherapy techniques, the researchers say. Gliomas, which represent most spinal cord tumors, develop in about 17,000 Americans annually, and 13,000 die from them.

“Our findings need to be verified in a larger number of patients, but they suggest that individuals younger than age 54, those with ependymomas and those treated with photon-based therapy versus proton-beam treatment have better overall survival,” says principal investigator Dr. Arnab Chakravarti, chair and professor of Radiation Oncology and co-director of the Brain Tumor Program at The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

source: OSU Medical Center

UC HEALTH LINE: Outpatient Lung Cancer Treatment Can Cure Certain Patients

2010-12-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

(Media-Newswire.com) - Cincinnati—Many patients with early-stage lung cancers are candidates for a new radiation-only treatment regimen that rarely has side effects and results in a cure in up to 80 percent of patients who have had it.

Stereotactic radiation therapy—also known as focal radiation therapy—is a highly targeted way of delivering radiation to treat cancerous tumors. The technique allows radiation oncologists to deliver radiation from multiple directions—essentially attacking the tumor from 360 degrees. Although it is most often used to treat brain tumors, three-year data from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group has shown the approach is also an effective alternative to surgery in certain early-stage lung cancers.

"Focal radiation therapy precisely aims radiation at the tumor tissue from approximately 12 directions versus two or three, so surrounding tissue only gets a fraction of the radiation exposure. This helps protect otherwise healthy tissue,” explains William Barrett, MD, medical director for the UC Health Barrett Cancer Center and chair of radiation oncology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

UC Health’s radiation oncology team has applied focal radiation therapy treatment to approximately 60 patients with early-stage lung cancers since 2004. Barrett says approximately 80 percent of local patients have remained cancer-free two years post treatment with focal therapy alone.

source: Media-newswire

Calypso Medical and Elekta Corporation Enter into Master Development Agreement for Radiation Therapy Cancer Treatment

2010-12-17T12:08:00.001-05:00

SEATTLE & STOCKHOLM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumors, and Elekta, a leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer, today announced a master development agreement to jointly develop products integrating the Calypso® System with Elekta’s radiotherapy treatment technologies.

“Integrating the Calypso System into Elekta’s world-class radiotherapy technologies may facilitate the development of innovative treatment modalities for treating prostate cancer along with more problematic radiation therapy targets, such as the pancreas and lung,” said Edward Vertatschitsch, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Calypso Medical. “Near term development efforts include creating connectivity between the linear accelerator and the Calypso System for patient positioning during radiation delivery, which automates the process of re-positioning the treatment couch when the tumor moves out of a prescribed motion threshold. This agreement will also provide the framework for the potential development of real-time automated correction, a future capability* with feasibility work already in progress at both companies, which enables motion management with the tumor target based on real-time tracking data provided by the Calypso System.”

“Clinicians around the world, including The Royal Marsden in London, the world’s first medical center dedicated to cancer treatment, are utilizing the Calypso System with our linear accelerators to optimize treatment for prostate cancer patients,” said Jill Stief, Director, Product Management, Oncology Systems at Elekta. “Effectively accounting for tumor motion may lead to improved treatment outcomes and patient quality-of-life.”

source: Calypso Medical

ASTRO patient website earns Web Health Award

2010-12-16T18:15:00.000-05:00

Fairfax, Va., December 15, 2010 – The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has received a 2010 Web Health Award for its patient-geared website, www.rtanswers.org.

The Web Health Awards is a national competition that recognizes high-quality electronic health information. Over 500 entries were submitted for the 2010 competition from a variety of health care professionals nationwide. The winners were selected by a panel of national electronic health information experts.

This year, ASTRO received a bronze award for RT Answers, a site designed specifically for cancer patients and their families, friends and caregivers. RT Answers began in 2004 as a way to explain to cancer patients and their families and friends how radiation therapy is used to treat cancer safely and effectively. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be frightening and confusing, so physicians and other members of the radiation therapy treatment team created RT Answers as a one-stop site where patients can receive radiation therapy information.

source: ASTRO

Non-invasive SRT as good as surgery for elderly patients with early lung cancer

2010-12-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

A new study shows that a new type of targeted radiation therapy called stereotactic radiation therapy is just as good as surgery for patients aged 75 and older with early-stage lung cancer, according to research presented at the 2010 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. This symposium is sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISLAC) and the University of Chicago.

In this study, researchers compared two treatments for early lung cancer in elderly patients: surgery and stereotactic radiation. Surgery has been the standard treatment for decades, but some oncologists now feel that stereotactic radiation may be as good and are studying it in trials around the world. Stereotactic radiation therapy, sometimes called radiosurgery, refers to a single or several very targeted radiation therapy treatments. Brand names for stereotactic radiation include Axesse, CyberKnife, Gamma Knife, Novalis, Primatom, Synergy, X-Knife, TomoTherapy or Trilogy.

For this trial, researchers looked back at elderly patients with early lung cancer treated in North Holland between 2005 and 2007. They found that there were no differences in the long-term survival for patients treated with either treatment but that surgery had a higher risk of death in the first 30 days.

source: EurekAlert

Cancer Treatment Centers’ Oncology Information System Options Expand with New MOSAIQ Connectivity

2010-12-11T15:57:00.000-05:00

Customers using Elekta’s MOSAIQ® oncology information system (OIS) experience success with seamless integration to Varian’s TrueBeam™ system for radiation therapy delivery. The MOSAIQ interface to this linear accelerator is the most recent example of exceptional connectivity between Elekta’s premier OIS and the delivery systems of other cancer management equipment providers, including Siemens and TomoTherapy, and particle therapy vendors such as Hitachi and IBA.

“Creating a seamless link between MOSAIQ and TrueBeam is consistent with Elekta’s philosophy of open systems connectivity that has endured for 20 years,” says Todd Powell, Executive Vice President, Elekta Software. “MOSAIQ provides unsurpassed safety, functionality and interoperability, meeting our clinicians’ highest expectations and providing the most comprehensive information medium for excellent patient care.”

The MOSAIQ OIS streamlines medical oncology and radiation oncology workflow from the first encounter, through diagnosis and staging, planning, treatment and long-term follow-up. At the heart of MOSAIQ is the image-enabled electronic medical record (EMR) by which healthcare professionals communicate information about their patients throughout the continuum of cancer care.

source: Elekta

Non-Invasive Stereotactic Radiation Therapy As Good As Surgery For Elderly Patients With Early Lung Cancer

2010-12-10T22:27:00.000-05:00

Elekta Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for XiO Software to Plan Spot Scanning for Proton Therapy

2010-12-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

Elekta recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its XiO® treatment planning software to plan spot scanning. Spot scanning is a proton therapy delivery method that involves constructing a highly conformal dose to the tumor by using thousands of small individual beamlets instead of a single large beam. This approach enables Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT).

XiO, Elekta’s 3D / Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatment planning platform, offers proton therapy centers another option to plan proton deliveries. XiO provides unique tools to facilitate rapid positioning of spots to construct the dose to the tumor, in addition to a proven dose calculation algorithm to optimize each beam.

“The completely automated optimization of the spot deliveries allows clinicians to produce treatment plans with a high degree of conformality around the target, therefore, minimizing the dose to adjacent healthy tissue,” says Virgil Willcut, Vice President of Product Management, Physics & Research for Elekta Treatment Planning. “Spot scanning especially is important for pediatric patients since it provides better normal tissue sparing and lower neutron doses than conventional proton planning, both of which reduce the chance of radiation induced side effects for a cohort of patients that are still developing and have long life expectancies.”

source: Elekta

TomoTherapy and NELCO Partner to Reduce Radiation Therapy Construction Costs

2010-11-25T16:29:00.000-05:00

MADISON, WI, Nov 23, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- TomoTherapy Incorporated /quotes/comstock/15*!tomo/quotes/nls/tomo (TOMO 3.53, 0.00, 0.00%) , maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, today announced availability of a shielding solution that enables hospitals and cancer centers to quickly, easily and inexpensively build out treatment vaults that are properly shielded for use of the TomoTherapy(R) radiation therapy system. The Total Shield(TM) by NELCO, the worldwide leader in designing, manufacturing, and installing specialized products and services for the medical, industrial, and construction fields, is a customized shielding enclosure designed to fit around a TomoTherapy unit, making it possible for the radiation therapy system to be placed into existing under-shielded vaults or other treatment rooms where there may not be enough space to install necessary shielding using the existing infrastructure.

Total Shield provides hospitals and cancer centers with the flexibility to put the TomoTherapy system in an existing space, which may be too small or may not include enough shielding for modern intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) devices. Instead of adding shielding in the walls, the Total Shield enclosure is designed to wrap around the TomoTherapy system itself.

By taking this approach, TomoTherapy customers can potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars in shielding costs and eliminate the months it takes to install conventional shielding solutions. Total Shield can be installed in just a matter of days. Additionally, because the Total Shield can be easily removed, it can be reused if the TomoTherapy system is eventually moved to a new location.

source: TomoTherapy

Smoking during radiation therapy for head and neck cancers linked to poorer outcomes

2010-11-17T21:59:00.001-05:00

Smokers who don’t quit before radiation therapy for throat, mouth and other head and neck cancers fair significantly worse than those who do, research from the UC Davis Cancer Center has found.

Allen Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the UC Davis Cancer Center, found that head- and neck-cancer patients who continue to smoke during radiation therapy have poorer 5-year overall survival and higher rates of disease recurrence than those who quit smoking prior to treatment.

The study, published online recently in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, should help oncologists counsel patients about the benefits of quitting smoking after a diagnosis of head and neck cancer, said Chen, lead author of the study.

“I always tell patients, ‘You should really stop smoking,’ but I had no tangible evidence to use to convince them that they would be worse off if they continued to smoke,” Chen said. “I wanted concrete data to see if smoking was detrimental in terms of curability, overall survival and tolerability of treatment. We showed continued tobacco smoking contributed to negative outcomes with regard to all of those.”

Chen and colleagues reviewed medical records of 101 patients with newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who continued to smoke during radiation therapy, and matched those patients to others who had quit prior to starting radiation therapy for their head and neck cancers.

source: UC Davis Cancer Center

Aluminium-Containing Antiperspirants Do Not Cause Adverse Skin Reactions During Radiation Therapy: Presented at ASTRO

2010-11-09T10:47:00.003-05:00

By Ed Susman

SAN DIEGO -- November 4, 2010 -- Women who undergo radiation therapy for breast cancer probably can belay fears that use of aluminium-containing antiperspirants will cause skin reactions or that the aluminium will increase the amount of radiation women receive.

The research was presented here on November 1 at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

The research team enrolled 198 women who were planning on receiving radiotherapy and told half the women to use the antiperspirants which often contain aluminium compounds and told the other half of the women to use standard care (wash only).

The researchers wanted to test whether use of these products were responsible for anecdotal concerns that the metallic content of the products produced greater erythema that non-use of the products. But what they found was no difference between the women who used the products and those that did not.

There was no increase in the intensity of the transient sunburn-like skin reactions that most people experience during radiation treatment among women using antiperspirants.

source: Doctors Guide

Varian Medical Systems Receives 510(k) Clearance for Acuros® XB Advanced Dose Calculation Algorithm for Planning Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery

2010-11-05T18:18:00.000-04:00

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 1 , 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ASTRO Booth # 201 -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Acuros® XB advanced dose calculation algorithm which can complete a RapidArc® treatment plan two to three times faster than conventional planning algorithms. Varian has incorporated the Acuros algorithm for external beam radiotherapy treatment planning into its market-leading Eclipse™ treatment planning system on exhibit at the 52nd annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego October 31 - November 4.

The Acuros dose calculation algorithm is designed for planning complex cases quickly and easily. It is particularly beneficial for planning sophisticated treatments in areas like the lungs or sinuses, where tissue density varies. It is also ideal for planning treatments that require many beam angles, including RapidArc radiotherapy and radiosurgery, which deliver beams continually from all angles as the treatment machine rotates around the patient.

source: Varian

Varian Medical Systems and IMRIS to Co-Develop Revolutionary New MR-Guided Radiation Therapy System

2010-10-15T22:10:00.000-04:00

PALO ALTO, Calif. and WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems, Inc., (NYSE: VAR) ("Varian") and IMRIS Inc. (TSX: IM) ("IMRIS") have concluded an agreement to co-develop an innovative new MR-guided radiation therapy system for use in treating a variety of cancers.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will develop a solution that combines IMRIS's proprietary MR imaging technology with Varian's recently introduced TrueBeam™ system, to enable the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during radiotherapy treatments for cancer. Launched in April 2010, Varian's TrueBeam system for radiotherapy and radiosurgery offers unprecedented speed and accuracy and has the ability to deliver treatments up to 50 per cent faster, with a dose delivery rate of up to double the maximum of earlier, industry-leading Varian systems.

MR is the gold standard for soft tissue imaging. By leveraging IMRIS's proprietary technology and integrating the exquisite detail of MR imaging with the extensive treatment delivery capabilities of the TrueBeam system, the two companies expect to enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

"We are seeking to augment physicians' ability to target cancerous tissue very precisely, even in areas of the body that are difficult to image," said Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "Many studies have shown that increased treatment accuracy can reduce the impact on healthy tissues around a targeted tumor."

source: PR Newswire

Calypso Medical Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Dynamic Edge Gating Technology

2010-10-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

SEATTLE—Oct. 7, 2010—Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumors, today announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Calypso® System with Dynamic Edge(tm) Gating Technology. This latest innovation of the Calypso System automates the response to organ motion that occurs during the delivery of radiation to prostate cancer tumors in order to protect healthy tissue from unintended radiation. As a result, this technology may enable a further decrease in the side effects associated with prostate radiotherapy, such as bowel and bladder incontinence and sexual dysfunction.

The Calypso System, with its GPS for the Body® technology, utilizes miniature implanted Beacon® transponders to provide precise, continuous information on the location of the tumor during external beam radiation therapy. The real-time position information provided by the Calypso System allows physicians to deliver maximum radiation directly to the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues and organs from exposure. The new gating technology allows therapists to set motion thresholds which automatically signal radiation delivery to be stopped each time the targeted tissue moves outside the preset threshold. Previously the Calypso System, which provides target position information in the form of objective data, relied upon the therapist to manually intervene and halt radiation delivery when healthy tissue was in danger of receiving unintended radiation.

source: Calypso Medical

Elekta Launches ABAS 2.0 Autosegmentation Software Used to Plan Radiation Therapy in Patients with Cancer

2010-10-04T14:33:00.000-04:00

GPU calculations increase contouring speed by as much as 50 percent

Elekta recently launched ABAS (Atlas-based Autosegmentation) 2.0 software, which includes the Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) algorithm to increase contouring accuracy. ABAS—considered the industry gold standard for autosegmentation accuracy—deforms atlases of anatomy previously defined on a reference image onto a new patient image, creating a new structure set fit to the patient anatomy and enhancing planning efficiency.

“The STAPLE algorithm allows multiple atlases to be calculated against a single patient,” says Randy Larson, ABAS product manager. “The benefit is increased accuracy because the user is achieving the best result for each contour based on multiple sources. ABAS 2.0 also uses a graphics processor unit [GPU], which increases contouring speed by up to 50 percent. In addition, this release includes an improved user interface featuring new tools and functionality, as well as full DICOM service, to enhance workflow and file maintenance.”

With its deformable registration algorithms, ABAS saves physician and dosimetrist time by automatically contouring new image sets based on anatomy defined in the atlas. Users may further edit and refine the new image sets.

source: Elekta

Varian Medical Systems Spotlights TrueBeam Treatment System for First Time in Europe at ESTRO 2010, September 12-16, Barcelona

2010-09-13T16:24:00.000-04:00

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is spotlighting its new TrueBeam™ medical linear accelerator for fast, powerful and efficient cancer treatments at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology exhibition in Barcelona next week. A fully-featured TrueBeam system will be the centerpiece of Varian's booth at the annual ESTRO meeting (Booth No. 320).

TrueBeam uses a multitude of technical innovations to dynamically synchronize imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery. Designed to be a best-in-class and versatile platform, TrueBeam can be used for all forms of advanced external-beam radiotherapy including image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery (IGRT and IGRS), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and RapidArc® radiotherapy. The product line includes TrueBeam STx, specially configured for advanced radiosurgery.

With its high intensity mode, TrueBeam can deliver doses at up to 2400 MU/min, more than twice as fast as any other machine for either radiotherapy or radiosurgery. Planning of such rapid treatments is fully supported in the latest version of Varian's Eclipse™ treatment planning system that will also be demonstrated on the Varian booth.

source: Varian Medical Systems

Benefits of TomoTherapy(R) Radiation Therapy Highlighted in 82 Studies to Be Presented at ESTRO 29 in Barcelona

2010-09-10T18:22:00.001-04:00

MADISON, WS, Sep 08, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- TomoTherapy Incorporated /quotes/comstock/15*!tomo/quotes/nls/tomo (TOMO 3.11, +0.02, +0.68%) , maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for cancer care, today announced that 82 studies examining the use of the TomoTherapy(R) treatment system to treat common, complex and rare tumors throughout the body will be showcased at ESTRO 29, September 12-16, 2010, in Barcelona. The studies examine use of the TomoTherapy system on head and neck, prostate, breast and lung tumors, as well as for treating blood cancers, mesothelioma and pediatric patients.

In one of the most promising papers, researchers from San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy compared TomoTherapy to other radiation therapy solutions using Pareto front analysis to explore the ability of these treatment methods to improve target coverage without sacrificing organs at risk (OAR) or other constraints. Researchers reported that "for all simulations RapidArc(R) met less of the optimization criteria, while TomoTherapy was able to produce the most homogeneous dose and have the capability to conform dose distributions better than RapidArc(R)."

Head and Neck Cancers Among the numerous studies on head and neck tumors, two studies compare arc therapy to helical TomoTherapy radiation delivery. Exploring the treatment of patients with oropharyngeal cancer, researchers in Belgium and the Netherlands concluded that in the treatment of head and neck cancer, helical TomoTherapy treatment times are less than both Smart Arc and step and shoot techniques. In fact, TomoTherapy treatment was fastest of all techniques examined, at 6.6 minutes, compared to 7.5 minutes for Smart Arc and longer times for other intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) techniques, while delivering the best homogeneity and equivalent or better OAR sparing.

source: Marketwatch

New Model May Simplify High-Dose Radiosurgery Planning

2010-09-06T16:07:00.001-04:00

COLUMBUS, Ohio – There is yet no straightforward way to determine the optimal dose level and treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies such as stereotactic radiation therapy, which is used to treat brain and lung cancer, or for high-dose brachytherapy for prostate and other cancers.

Radiation oncologists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) may have solved the problem by developing a new mathematical model that encompasses all dose levels.

Typically, radiation therapy for cancer is given in daily, low doses spread over many weeks. Oncologists often calculate the schedules for these fractionated, low-dose treatment courses using a mathematical model called the linear-quadratic (LQ) Model. The same calculation model is used to evaluate radiation response, interpret clinical data and guide clinical trials.

“Unfortunately the LQ Model doesn’t work well for high-dose radiation therapy,” says co-author Dr. Nina Mayr, professor of radiation oncology at the OSUCCC-James. “Our study resolves this problem by modifying the current method to develop the Generalized LQ (gLQ) Model that covers all dose levels and schedules.”

If verified clinically, the Generalized gLQ Model could guide the planning of dose and schedules needed for the newer radiosurgery and stereotactic radiation therapy and high-dose brachytherapy procedures that are increasingly used for cancer patients, she says.

source: Ohio State University Medical Center

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Anal Cancer: Toxicity versus Outcomes

2010-08-30T18:45:00.000-04:00

Cancer of the anal canal is an uncommon malignancy, with an estimated 5,290 cases diagnosed in the United States in 2009; however, its incidence has been increasing over the past several decades (www.cancer.gov). Historically, first-line therapy was an abdominoperineal resection (APR), resulting in a permanent colostomy. Long-term cure rates following resection alone have varied in the literature, but results as high as 71% have been reported. For most patients, however, avoidance of radical resection and permanent colostomy placement are highly desirable.[1]

Table 1Nigro and colleagues at Wayne State University pioneered the non-operative treatment paradigm for anal canal cancers.[2,3] Their initial investigation consisted of three patients treated with approximately 30 Gy radiation therapy (RT) with concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and mitomycin C (MMC). Two patients underwent planned APR with no residual disease demonstrated by pathologic assessment and the third patient declined surgical intervention, with no disease relapse in follow-up. This important preliminary data spawned numerous investigations of non-operative management of anal canal cancer.

source: CancerNetwork

Varian Medical Systems to Showcase Advanced Motion Management Technology for the Treatment of Lung Cancer at CHINA-HOSPEQ 2010

2010-08-18T20:29:00.001-04:00

BEIJING, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: VAR) will showcase the company's new Gated RapidArc technology on its Trilogy® machine with advanced motion management capabilities at the 2010 CHINA-HOSPEQ exhibition being held in Beijing August 19-21 by China's Ministry of Health. Varian, the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer and a premier supplier of X-ray imaging technology, will also exhibit its software for planning and for managing radiation therapy treatments.

"Our next generation Gated RapidArc technology, which was introduced five months ago for the Trilogy and other Varian accelerators, enables clinicians to monitor and adjust for tumor motion during a RapidArc® treatment," said Xiaoyun Wang, managing director of Varian's Oncology Systems operations in Beijing. "This sophisticated new tool makes it possible to monitor patient breathing and compensate for tumor motion during lung cancer treatments. This Gated RapidArc approach can 'gate' the beam—turn it on and off—in response to tumor motion during treatment, to target the tumor accurately and spare surrounding healthy tissues.

Varian software on display will include:

* The Eclipse™ treatment planning system, which simplifies modern radiation therapy planning for all kinds of treatment, including 3D conformal, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), electron, proton, and brachytherapy treatment. "Eclipse helps doctors and physicists efficiently create and verify treatment plans that have been optimized for each patient," said Wang.
* The ARIA® oncology information system, a comprehensive information and image management system that aggregates patient data into a single, organized, oncology-specific medical chart that simplifies the treatment process so clinicians can focus on caring for patients.

source: Varian Medical Systems

Toward the Future of Radiation Therapy: MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center Pioneers Pencil Beam Technology for Cancer Patient Care

2010-08-06T11:49:00.000-04:00

Treating cancers of the pelvis, brain and in children with new technique designed to 'paint' the tumor

HOUSTON, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The radiation oncologist's mantra is to deliver the maximum dose of radiation to the malignant tumor, while limiting damage to healthy surrounding tissue. In proton therapy, this balance is achieved by using proton particles, accelerated to nearly the speed of light, to mimic the shape of a tumor and effectively deposit their energy within the confines of it with sub-millimeter precision.

New tools are enabling physicians at the Proton Therapy Center at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer to harness supercharged proton particles and conform them more precisely to the rugged landscape and uneven contours of a tumor. Using a technology known as pencil beam scanning, also known as spot scanning, protons are given the mission: Hone in on cancer cells and destroy. As much an art form as a war tactic, pencil beam proton therapy has the ability to treat the most complex of tumors, like those of the prostate, brain, base of the skull and eye, while leaving healthy tissue and critical structures virtually untouched. The powerful coupling of strength and accuracy offers unmatched capacity to treat a patient's tumor without compromising quality of life during and after treatment.

In nearly a decade since pencil beam's birth in a Swiss physics institute, the world's leading practitioners in radiation science at MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center have integrated the tested technology into the institution's multidisciplinary approach to patient care and translational cancer research.

source: PR Newswire

ASTRO publishes whole breast irradiation guidelines

2010-08-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

Fairfax, Va., August 4, 2010 - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released evidence-based guidelines to define appropriate fractionation of whole breast irradiation (WBI), finding that hypofractionated (HF) WBI is effective for many patients with early-stage breast cancer. These guidelines are published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

Studies have shown that WBI following breast conserving surgery lowers the risk of tumor recurrence and improves survival. Most studies used conventionally fractionated (CF) radiation, which involves daily treatments for up to seven weeks. Despite its effectiveness, conventional fractionation has some drawbacks, including the inconvenience associated with undergoing treatment for a long period of time and the total costs, including both direct health care expenditures and opportunity costs to the patient from being away from home and work.

HF-WBI is a type of WBI that uses a higher dose for each treatment but fewer total treatments, so patients can typically finish radiation in four weeks or less. Several trials have found little difference in the local control and survival outcomes for selected patients treated with either CF-WBI or HF-WBI.

source: ASTRO

Women exposed to radiation therapy as children prone to stillbirths

2010-07-23T22:52:00.000-04:00

Although unproven, radiation-induced damage of human germ cells might be transmitted to the offspring of patients, which could have adverse effects on reproduction and the health of offspring. This damage could also have implications for those who are exposed to radiation and chemicals in occupational or other settings, such as nuclear power plants.

In this new study, the authors took data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), which covered 25 US institutions and one in Canada. The risk of stillbirth and neonatal death among the offspring of men and women who had survived childhood cancer was calculated. All patients in CCSS were younger than 21 years at initial diagnosis of an eligible cancer and had survived for at least 5 years after diagnosis.

Among the 1148 men and 1657 women who had survived childhood cancer, there were 4946 pregnancies
. Irradiation of the testes (men), pituitary gland (women), and use of alkylating chemotherapy drugs (both sexes) were not associated with an increased risk of stillbirth or early baby death. Uterine and ovarian irradiation significantly increased (by nine times) the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death across all age groups combined, when doses greater than 10•00 Gy were used. For girls treated before puberty, irradiation of the uterus and ovaries at doses as low as 1•00-2•49 Gy increased the risk of stillbirth or neonatal death by almost five times; when doses over 2.5 Gy were used, the risk was increased 12 times.

source: Physorg.com

Varian Medical Systems and Brainlab Combine TrueBeam™ STx with the Novalis® Radiosurgery Program

2010-07-07T14:25:00.001-04:00

PALO ALTO, Calif. and MUNICH, June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems (Varian) and Brainlab today announced the expansion of their partnership to incorporate Novalis technology and other Novalis® Radiosurgery Program elements with the recently launched TrueBeam™ STx system. The expanded suite of products will be badged "Novalis powered by TrueBeam STx." The announcement was made at the 5th International Conference of the Novalis Circle, a meeting of Novalis radiosurgery users that provides a platform for collaboration between clinicians to advance the field of radiosurgery, which was held in Munich June 17-19.

This expanded agreement is a natural extension of a relationship between the two companies that began in 1996, and grew with their collaboration around the Novalis Tx™ radiosurgery platform, which launched in 2007. Novalis Powered by TrueBeam STx will give clinicians radiosurgical and image-guidance capabilities designed for targeted SRS and SBRT treatments. It will include Brainlab iPlan® treatment planning and ExacTrac® room-based x-ray imaging technology as well as Varian's HD120 MLC multileaf collimator for high resolution beam shaping.

"TrueBeam STx technology will significantly enhance the Varian-Brainlab offering to the radiosurgery market with its significant speed and precision. The Novalis Radiosurgery Program includes a comprehensive package of clinical applications, workflow, knowledge base and training for radiosurgery," said Dow Wilson, Executive Vice President; President, Oncology Systems, Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

The TrueBeam STx is specially configured for advanced radiosurgery and is designed to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and accuracy. A TrueBeam system can deliver treatments up to 50 percent faster with a dose delivery rate of up to 2400 monitor units per minute, double the maximum output of earlier, industry-leading Varian systems. This makes it possible to offer greater patient comfort by shortening treatments, and to improve precision by leaving less time for tumor motion during dose delivery.

source: Varian Medical Systems

TomoTherapy Signs Radiation Therapy Equipment Agreement With Amerinet

2010-06-28T20:18:00.000-04:00

MADISON, WI, Jun 22, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- TomoTherapy Incorporated /quotes/comstock/15*!tomo/quotes/nls/tomo (TOMO 3.03, -0.06, -1.90%) announced today that it has signed a purchasing agreement with Amerinet, a leading national healthcare group purchasing organization (GPO). This agreement will make TomoTherapy's premier radiation therapy solutions available to Amerinet's members and will result in a more streamlined purchasing process for Amerinet member facilities seeking an innovative and proven technology for advanced cancer care.

Amerinet has more than 41,000 members nationwide.

"Our new agreement with TomoTherapy will benefit our members by expanding their options for radiation oncology systems," said Ken Rosemann, vice president, laboratory and diagnostic imaging for Amerinet.

"Over the years, TomoTherapy system users have published many studies that demonstrate the system's effectiveness for treating a wide array of cancers throughout the body, from the most common to the most complex," said Fred Robertson, TomoTherapy CEO. "We look forward to the opportunity to work with Amerinet member organizations as they seek to improve and enhance cancer treatment alternatives for their patients."

About Amerinet As a leading national healthcare group purchasing organization, Amerinet strategically partners with acute and alternate care providers to reduce costs and improve quality through its performance solutions. Built on a foundation of data, savings and trust, and supported by a team of clinical and supply chain experts, Amerinet enriches healthcare delivery for its members and communities they serve. To learn more about the Amerinet difference, visit www.amerinet-gpo.com.

source: MarketWire

Press Release: ASTRO applauds MedPAC review of Stark law exception

2010-06-19T19:26:00.001-04:00

Fairfax, Va., June 16, 2010 - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) commends the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) for highlighting concerns about physician self-referral in cancer care in its report released yesterday. We urge the commission to make recommendations to Congress to end abuses of the physician self-referral law in radiation oncology enabled by the "in-office ancillary services exception."

"We are very pleased that key federal policymakers are fully aware of the ever-expanding schemes that are being used to generate profit at the expense of American taxpayers and cancer patients," Tim R. Williams, M.D., ASTRO chairman, said. "We appreciate the considerable effort that MedPAC and others are dedicating to examine these abuses, and we are confident that this hard work will pay off in sound policies that protect cancer patients and precious health care resources."

ASTRO's highest priority is excellence in cancer patient care. When a patient's medical condition requires a referral for specialized care, the treatment decision must be based on quality care and patient choice, not financial incentives. ASTRO believes it is wrong to create business enterprises centered on rewarding physicians for making referrals, yet we are increasingly seeing business ventures across the country designed to generate additional revenues within a group practice by incorporating radiation therapy.

source: ASTRO

Florida radiation council endorses ASTRO patient protection plan

2010-06-16T20:52:00.000-04:00

Fairfax, Va., June 15, 2010 – Through a unanimous decision, the Florida Advisory Council on Radiation Protection has endorsed Target Safely, the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) patient protection plan.

ASTRO’s Board of Directors developed Target Safely after a systemic review of the Society’s patient safety and quality assurance projects, which began as part of the Board’s winter meeting January 28-31, 2010. The goal of the plan is to improve safety and quality and reduce the chances of medical errors.

"The Florida Bureau of Radiation Control and the Advisory Council on Radiation Protection are pleased to endorse ASTRO’s Target Safely plan," William Passetti, chief of the Florida Department of Heath Bureau of Radiation Control, said. "We are always looking for partners to work with to help reduce any unnecessary radiation exposure to people in Florida and feel this plan is an important piece toward that end."

source: ASTRO

New 'Microbead' Radiotherapy More Effective With Molecular Imaging

2010-06-08T09:58:00.001-04:00

ScienceDaily (June 7, 2010) — Research unveiled at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting may change the way that a novel form of radiotherapy is set up and tested prior to treatment. This technique, known as radiomicrosphere therapy, involves the injection of tiny highly radioactive beads that "nestle up" with cancerous tumors and destroy them with precision. However, technologists and physicians must work together to carefully plan each patient's treatment using molecular imaging to ensure that the beads do not wander off into other areas of the body.

"Radiomicrosphere therapy guided by molecular imaging is an emerging area of radiotherapy and has the potential to target treatments for cancer patients," said Ron Young, C.N.M.T., principal researcher and clinical manager of nuclear medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. "This technique allows us to provide the most effective and individualized therapy with minimal complications for the patient."

Radiomicrosphere therapy can lead to unwanted damage to healthy tissues. Young emphasizes that those providing care must perform an imaging scan of patients to predict where these particles are going to travel and potentially destroy normal tissue.

source: Science Daily release

Proton Therapy Carries Precise, Potent Punch Against Cancers for Patients at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

2010-05-27T12:03:00.000-04:00

PHILADELPHIA, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announces the availability of proton therapy, a precise form of cancer radiation that offers potentially life-changing benefits to children with brain tumors and other solid tumors. The Hospital's Cancer Center has recently begun using proton treatment at the new Roberts Proton Therapy Center, a cutting-edge radiation oncology facility located across the street from Children's Hospital in Penn Medicine's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

With a child diagnosed with a brain tumor, parents often face a cruel dilemma. Conventional radiation treatment that offers survival often risks severe side effects, including damage to surrounding healthy tissue, as well as impairments to hearing, vision, growth and cognition. The after-effects may impede a child's daily life and may carry the prospect of lifelong disability and dependence. In fact, the side effects are potentially devastating enough that conventional radiation therapy is not given to children under age two.

The Roberts Proton Therapy Center is the only proton therapy facility in the country conceived with pediatric patients in mind from the earliest planning stages. Children who receive proton therapy in this $140 million state-of-the-art facility benefit from a long-standing collaboration between Children's Hospital and radiation oncologists at Penn Medicine. Young patients experience family-focused pediatric care from a medical team who understands the unique needs of children with cancer, while providing emotional support for the entire family. Every detail has been considered-- from scheduling morning treatments for children who cannot eat prior to anesthesia, to offering a dedicated child-oriented waiting room and a dedicated pediatric anesthesia room.

source: PR Newswire

Well-Tolerated Radiotherapy Provides Longer Life to Patients With Recurrent Brain Cancer

2010-05-25T15:31:00.000-04:00

ScienceDaily (May 24, 2010) — Patients who received hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for their recurrent brain cancers lived longer lives, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson University.

Not only does hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (H-SRT) provide longer survival, patients do not experience side effects commonly seen with use of chemotherapies and targeted therapies, the researchers found. They believe these findings, reported online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, set a new bar for the treatment of recurrent gliomas.

"In many centers, patients with tumor progression within six months after the initial conformal radiotherapy are denied a second radiotherapy course (such as H-SRT), based on the assumption that their prognosis is poor." said senior author Maria Werner-Wasik, M.D., professor of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Co-Director of the Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience. "Our findings support the recommendation that essentially all patients with progressive high-grade gliomas, who are in good shape and have tumors amenable to local radiotherapy, should be considered for H-SRT."

source: Science Daily release

Varian Medical Systems Introduces ProBeam™ Proton Therapy Platform at Particle Therapy Co-operative Group (PT COG) 2010 Meeting

2010-05-19T14:47:00.000-04:00

GUNMA, Japan, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is introducing the fully-integrated ProBeam™ proton therapy system at the 2010 Particle Therapy Co-operative Group (PT-COG) meeting here this week. The ProBeam system incorporates imaging, gating, robotic patient positioning, treatment planning and oncology information software to enhance treatment quality for patients and workflow efficiency for clinicians.

"ProBeam is the result of decades of leadership in proton therapy research and development and it has been designed from the ground-up to meet the needs of clinicians and patients alike," says Moataz Karmalawy, head of Varian's particle therapy group. "This fully integrated system can be used for all forms of advanced proton therapy including image-guided proton therapy and intensity-modulated proton therapy."

The ProBeam system incorporates Dynamic Peak™ integrated scanning technology which paints a precise radiation dose on the target volume, enabling true intensity modulated proton therapy. The system also incorporates proprietary pencil-beam scanning technology, which allows for precise dose distribution.

source: Varian

U-M study achieves reduced side effects in head and neck cancer treatment

2010-05-12T13:24:00.000-04:00

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have applied advanced radiation techniques for head and neck cancer to avoid treating critical structures that affect swallowing and eating. A new study shows these principles and techniques treated the cancer effectively while greatly reducing long-term swallowing complications.

The researchers applied highly conformal, intensity-modulated radiation therapy and knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the structures involved to carefully craft a novel treatment plan that avoids certain muscles in the mouth and throat that are most involved in swallowing. Generally, head and neck tumors do not spread to these structures.

Of the 73 patients treated with this technique, all but four were eating a normal diet after their treatment ended and only one was dependent on a feeding tube. Typically up to 20 percent of head and neck cancer patients remain dependent on a feeding tube after finishing an intensive course of radiation treatment concurrent with chemotherapy.

Results of the study appear online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

source: University of Michigan Health System

Experts Discuss the Potential of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) in the Treatment of Lung, Spine, and Liver Cancer

2010-05-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Radiosurgical approaches to cancer treatment are showing promise in the treatment of lung, liver, and spinal tumors, according to four leading clinical experts who presented at a symposium in New York earlier this month. New approaches to image-guidance and motion management are making it possible to successfully target tumors that are typically hard to reach with a radiosurgical technique doctors call stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).

"Evidence has shown that increasing the dose to the targeted tumor improves local control or survival, while reducing the dose to normal surrounding tissues reduces treatment toxicity of treatment," said John J. Kresl, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of Radiation Oncologists of Central Arizona at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. "This is precisely what stereotactic body radiotherapy enables us to do so well. In the past, outcomes for radiation therapy weren't as good as we hoped for, because side effects prevented us from making the dose high enough to control the cancer. By enabling us to minimize exposure of the normal healthy tissues, stereotactic treatments are helping to overcome this problem."

Radiosurgical treatments involve the use of numerous small, powerful, highly focused radiation beams to attack tumors from many different angles in just one to five sessions. Conventional radiotherapy approaches involve delivering smaller daily doses over 30 to 40 treatment sessions.

source: Varian Medical Systems

SBRT For Lung Cancer Report Released By ASTRO

2010-04-29T12:08:00.000-04:00

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released its Emerging Technology Committee's report evaluating the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in lung cancer treatment.

SBRT is a newer radiation therapy treatment that uses focused radiation beams to target a well-defined tumor and relies on detailed imaging, computerized three-dimensional treatment planning and precise treatment setup to deliver the radiation dose with extreme accuracy to any part of the body, excluding the brain or spine. It typically uses higher radiation doses in fewer treatments than other standard treatments.

Historically, the preferred treatment for lung cancer patients is surgery, but numerous lung cancer patients are unfit for surgery due to the presence of other medical conditions, such as cardiopulmonary disease related to chronic smoking, that put them at an unacceptably high risk of surgical morbidity and mortality. Traditionally six to seven weeks of radiation have been used for this group of patients, but studies showed a high risk of local failure.

source: ASTRO

Smoking During Radiation Therapy For Head And Neck Cancers Linked To Poorer Outcomes

2010-04-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Smokers who don’t quit before radiation therapy for throat, mouth and other head and neck cancers fair significantly worse than those who do, research from the UC Davis Cancer Center has found.

Allen Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the UC Davis Cancer Center, found that head- and neck-cancer patients who continue to smoke during radiation therapy have poorer 5-year overall survival and higher rates of disease recurrence than those who quit smoking prior to treatment.

The study, published online recently in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, should help oncologists counsel patients about the benefits of quitting smoking after a diagnosis of head and neck cancer, said Chen, lead author of the study.

“I always tell patients, ‘You should really stop smoking,’ but I had no tangible evidence to use to convince them that they would be worse off if they continued to smoke,” Chen said. “I wanted concrete data to see if smoking was detrimental in terms of curability, overall survival and tolerability of treatment. We showed continued tobacco smoking contributed to negative outcomes with regard to all of those.”

source: UC Davis Health System

Varian Medical Systems Introduces a Trilogy® Accelerator With Gated RapidArc® and Advanced Motion Management

2010-04-15T10:27:00.000-04:00

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has added advanced motion management capabilities including gated RapidArc to its Trilogy platform for treating cancer with targeted radiotherapy. A set of sophisticated new tools now enables clinicians to monitor and adjust for tumor motion during treatment, and to utilize respiratory gating during a RapidArc® treatment.

"Extensive research and development into motion management systems has culminated in powerful new capabilities that will be standard on the new Trilogy accelerators and available as an upgrade on our large installed base of Trilogy and Clinac iX machines," said Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "Our Clinac iX and Trilogy accelerators together with our new TrueBeam platform (see accompanying press release) can now offer clinics an unmatched combination of motion management, speed, and versatility."

Gated RapidArc® radiotherapy makes it possible to monitor patient breathing and compensate for tumor motion while quickly delivering dose during a continuous rotation around the patient. This development enables the use of RapidArc to target lung tumors with greater precision by "gating" the beam—turning it on and off—in response to tumor motion.

source: Varian

Appropriate Radiation Therapy Lacking For Terminal Cancer Patients

2010-04-13T09:44:00.001-04:00

A new analysis has found that a considerable proportion of patients with end-stage or terminal cancer do not benefit from palliative radiation therapy (radiotherapy) despite spending most of their remaining life undergoing treatments. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that greater efforts are needed to tailor appropriately palliative radiotherapy to patients with end-stage cancer.

Palliative radiotherapy for end-stage cancer patients is intended to control cancer-related pain and other symptoms and to help patients maintain a good quality of life when long-term cancer control is not possible. By reducing the number of cancer cells, palliative radiotherapy can ease pain, stop bleeding, and relieve pressure, even when the cancer cannot be controlled. However, for many patients, the treatments are not effective. In addition, if patients are close to death, they may wish to stop treatments if they would like to die at home.

source: Medical News Today

Elekta Introduces Next Generation SBRT for Lung Cancer with Ground-Breaking 4D Image Guidance to Manage Tumor Motion and Enhance Safety

2010-04-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

Atlanta, GA (April 8, 2010) /PRNewswire/ — Elekta has introduced an advanced solution for treating lung tumors that enables doctors to visually confirm the tumor's position during the breathing cycle. This new technology treats the lesion with a continuous radiation beam, increasing therapy accuracy while using less imaging radiation during treatment delivery.

Lung tumors have been among the most challenging radiation therapy targets because the patient's breathing causes tumors to move. New research has shown that the lung tumor shifts position from day to day during the course of treatment (baseline shift).1 Doctors often have had to use external skin surface markers or implanted markers to estimate lung tumor position during the breathing cycle and then apply the beam only during certain points in the patient's respiration. These strategies require complex, time-consuming planning and delivery, and prolong treatment with an inefficient stop-start (i.e., gated) beam delivery.

"Elekta's XVI Symmetry™ and XVI Intuity™ completely change the approach when it comes to the treatment of lung tumors," says Dee Mathieson, Senior Vice President, Oncology Business Line Management. "Symmetry provides tools to manage shifts in the relative positions of the tumor and organs-at-risk during the respiratory cycle, and Intuity ensures that not only is the tumor's position accounted for, but also the position of nearby healthy critical structures. This contributes to a more patient-friendly and safe treatment."

source: PR Newswire

Imaging and Conformality Highlighted in Study of TomoTherapy Technology for Craniospinal Irradiation

2010-04-06T19:52:00.000-04:00

MADISON, Wis. – April 5, 2010 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for cancer care, today cited results of a study from McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that showed the benefits of TomoTherapy® technology in a variety of cases requiring craniospinal irradiation (CSI) in children and young adults. The study—entitled “Standard and Nonstandard Craniospinal Radiotherapy Using Helical TomoTherapy” and published online (Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys., March 2010; Epub ahead of print)—concluded that the TomoTherapy platform offers a major dosimetric advantage in treating both standard and complicated cases by utilizing integrated daily imaging and helical radiation delivery to more accurately target tumors and spare surrounding structures and organs.

As reported in the study, “Helical TomoTherapy delivers continuous arc-based [intensity-modulated radiation therapy] (IMRT) that gives high conformality and excellent dose homogeneity for the target volume. Helical TomoTherapy allows for differential dosing of multiple targets resulting in very elegant dose distributions. By its conformal nature, IMRT is very sensitive to improper patient setup. The use of pretreatment [megavoltage CT] (MVCT) imaging with [helical TomoTherapy] allows for increased precision with respect to patient positioning and use of a reduced [planning target volume] (PTV) margin. Daily imaging of our patients has shown the technique to be very reproducible. We conclude that [helical TomoTherapy] is an excellent tool for planning and delivery of conformal IMRT for both standard and nonstandard CSI.”

source: TomoTherapy

Radiation after mastectomy underused, U-M study finds

2010-03-30T10:38:00.001-04:00

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While radiation therapy is common after breast conserving surgery, it’s much less frequent after mastectomy, even among women for whom it would have clear life-saving benefit. This is according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The study looked at 2,260 women treated for breast cancer, assessing whether they had lumpectomy or mastectomy, and whether they would be strong candidates for radiation therapy. Women who have particularly large tumors or cancer in four or more of their nearby lymph nodes are recommended to have radiation after mastectomy.

The study found that among patients who should receive radiation therapy according to medical guidelines, 95 percent of those who had lumpectomy went on to receive radiation, but only 78 percent of those who had mastectomy received radiation. Among women for whom radiation is less clearly beneficial, 80 percent of the lumpectomy patients had radiation while only 46 percent of the mastectomy patients did.

source: University of Michigan Health Syste

Specific lymph node radiotherapy is well-tolerated after surgery in early breast cancer patient

2010-03-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

Barcelona, Spain: In patients with early breast cancer, giving radiotherapy to the lymph nodes located behind the breast bone and above the collar bone is well-tolerated, after mastectomy or breast conserving surgery, a radiation oncologist will tell delegates at the seventh European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC7) today (Saturday 27 March). Women at a high risk of developing breast cancer will probably benefit from additional lymph node radiotherapy, Dr Philip Poortmans, from the Dr. Bernard Verbeeten Instituut, Tilburg, The Netherlands, and a member of the EORTC* Radiation Oncology Group, will say.

Initial findings from the 4,004-patient multi-centre study carried out by the EORTC radiotherapy and breast cancer groups (46 institutions from 13 countries) show that there is no evidence of increased toxicity to the heart at three years follow-up in patients who received additional lymph node radiotherapy.

Patients will be followed-up for many years to see whether specific lymph-node radiotherapy could lead to long-term damage of the heart or the lungs, side effects that are associated with breast cancer radiotherapy.

Dr Philip Poortmans, one of the trial co-ordinators, will tell delegates that the longer-term aim of the EORTC study is to see whether giving additional radiotherapy to the lymph nodes located behind the breast bone and above the collar bone (internal mammary and medial supraclavicular [IM-MS] lymph nodes) to patients with early operable breast cancer will improve overall survival.

source: EurekAlert

Study Reveals TomoTherapy® Plays Key Role in Enabling Concurrent Chemo-Radiation Treatment

2010-03-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

Clinical Trial from Brussels University Hospital in Belgium

MADISON, Wis – March 23, 2010 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for cancer care, today cited the first published results on the concurrent use of hypofractionated TomoTherapySM radiation treatments and chemotherapy for unresectable locally-advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The clinical trial was carried out by the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Universitaire Ziekenhuis (UZ) Brussel in Brussels, Belgium, and published in the journal Cancer (Volume 116, Issue 1, Pages 241-250, Jan 2010). Previous studies have shown an increase in the rate of tumor control via either escalating biologically effective radiation dose, or the addition of chemotherapy concurrent with the course of radiation. This trial tests the feasibility of dose escalation along with concurrent chemotherapy, taking advantage of the accuracy and dose conformity of helical TomoTherapy treatments in minimizing radiation damage to normal tissues.

The paper, “Toxicity Report of a Phase 1/2 Dose-Escalation Study in Patients With Inoperable, Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer With Helical TomoTherapy and Concurrent Chemotherapy”, concludes that a TomoTherapy schedule of 67.2 Gy in 30 fractions, concurrent with cisplatin/docetaxel, is feasible and has acceptable toxicity with a promising tumor response rate.

source: TomoTherapy

ASTRO publishes supplement on protecting cancer patients by reducing radiation doses, side effects

2010-03-19T19:33:00.001-04:00

The Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (QUANTEC) review has been published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to update recommendations for the safe irradiation of 16 organs. For each organ, the relationship between dose/volume and clinical outcome is reviewed. These reviews replace initial recommendations published in 1991.

When physicians began using radiation therapy to treat cancer, there was limited technology available to image a tumor and then target radiation specifically to it while limiting the dose to nearby healthy tissues. In the 1980s and 1990s, the field of imaging was revolutionized through the use of computed tomography-based diagnosis and radiation therapy treatment planning, allowing for treatments to be targeted more directly to the tumor and minimizing exposure to surrounding tissues.

No radiation treatment can be given while avoiding all nearby healthy tissue, but unlike cancer cells, normal tissue cells can repair themselves after receiving radiation. The QUANTEC review was published to help the radiation oncology treatment team decide which areas of healthy tissue surrounding a tumor can most safely receive radiation and to provide guidance for selecting doses/volumes to be treated.

source: ASTRO

New Device Optimizes Targeting of Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

2010-03-18T14:59:00.000-04:00

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 16, 2010 – Radiation oncologists and prostate health specialists at South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Center for Prostate Health are using a new device that helps target the radiation dose delivered to the prostate and further reduces radiation exposure to surrounding tissues.

The device, a temporary, implantable balloon prostate immobilizer, “increases the effectiveness of leading-edge, external beam radiation technologies such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) by preventing the prostate from moving at the time radiation is delivered to the cancer,” said Edward E. Mullen, Jr., MD, director of radiation oncology.

Numerous studies demonstrate that even after the patient has been positioned and secured externally, the prostate can move internally up to ½-inch before the patient is treated. This internal prostate movement (which is factored into the treatment plan) is a key challenge to ensuring the precision of the radiation treatment.

source: PR Log

Researchers Pave Way for Tracking of Prostate Motion With a Single kV Imager During Arc Radiotherapy

2010-03-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers in the US and Denmark have made a breakthrough in image-guided targeting of prostate tumors during arc radiotherapy treatments. In research partially supported by Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), physicists at Stanford University (California, USA) and Aarhus University Hospital (Aarhus, Denmark) have devised a method for 'real-time' tracking of the prostate motion using Varian's On-Board Imager® that shows promise in paving the way for advanced clinical treatments.

Arc therapy techniques such as Varian's RapidArc® technology are fast and efficient radiotherapy treatments delivered in a continuous rotation of the treatment machine around the patient. The position of the target must be updated in real-time in order for the dynamic multi-leaf collimator (DMLC) to track tumor motion. To date, a combination of MV portal images and kV orthogonal images have been tested to achieve this.

"Acquiring mega-voltage images is not ideal during RapidArc because the DMLC can block the view of the target during the treatment," says Per Rugaard Poulsen, lead author of the research. "The kV image beam is not obscured by the treatment DMLC making the markers visible from all treatment angles, unlike with the MV beam."

source: Varian

ViewRay Wins NorTech Innovation Award

2010-02-16T15:44:00.000-05:00

Award Recognizes ViewRay's Advancements in Radiation Therapy Technology

CLEVELAND, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- ViewRay, Inc., a privately held medical device company, has earned a NorTech Innovation Award for its advancements in radiation therapy technology for the treatment of cancer. ViewRay was honored for its unique combination of medical imaging and radiotherapy, which is designed to improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is used to treat nearly two-thirds of today's cancer patients.

While radiation has proven critical in the fight against cancer, current radiotherapy technology has a major shortcoming: because patients' internal organs may shift during treatment, clinicians cannot determine precisely where the radiation is going in a patient's body. Organ motion may be significant enough to cause the radiation to miss the target and unnecessarily irradiate healthy tissue. To solve this problem, ViewRay is using a new combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiotherapy technology. The ViewRay system is being designed to allow clinicians to see where the radiation is delivered inside the patient moment by moment during the treatment, potentially reducing side effects and improving treatment success for patients with many different kinds of cancer. The ViewRay system is now in the final stages of development.

source: PR Newswire

McMaster-led study finds short-term radiation therapy successful against breast cancer

2010-02-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

An intense three-week course of radiation therapy is just as effective as the standard five-week regimen for women with early-stage breast cancer.

Dr. Tim Whelan, a professor of oncology at McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, led a team of researchers to find that women who received the accelerated therapy have a low risk of the breast cancer for as long as 12 years after treatment. The study was conducted by the Ontario Clinical Oncology Group under the direction of Dr. Mark Levine.

The results are to be published in the Feb. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and have been presented to a meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

The study concluded a shorter, more intense course of therapy is as safe and effective as the standard treatment for select women who have undergone breast-conserving surgery.

Women who receive a three-week treatment - called accelerated hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation - have a low risk of side effects and recurrence of the cancer more than decade after treatment. It is just as effective as the standard five-week course of radiation following surgery to remove the malignancy.

source: McMaster University