Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Radiology / Nuclear Medicine News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/radiology/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170264.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170264.php A new study finds that women treated for breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence if they have dense breasts. Published in the December 15, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study's results indicate that breast cancer patients with dense breasts may benefit from additional therapies following surgery, such as radiation. Breast Cancer Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170253.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170253.php SNM applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for its passage of H.R. 3276 - the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009. "The worldwide isotope shortage has long been adversely affecting patients in the U.S.," said Michael M. Graham, Ph.D., M.D., president of SNM. "This important legislation will bring us one step closer to solving this chronic problem." The American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009 was introduced by Congressman Edward J. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170238.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170238.php Registration is now open for the Society of Interventional Radiology's "Image-guided Interventional Oncology (IO) Therapies" Webinar, which will provide the latest updates on percutaneous and transcatheter treatment of liver tumors, kidney tumor ablation and lung tumor ablation. SIR is a national organization of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving public health through pioneering advances in image-guided therapy. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170124.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170124.php For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170159.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170159.php The SAVI™ 6-1Mini breast brachytherapy applicator is the only brachytherapy solution for patients with small breasts, hard-to-reach lumpectomy cavities, or cavities close to the skin surface, according to a new study. Physicist and lead researcher Serban Morcovescu, MS, DABR, presented these findings on the 6-1Mini device at the recent annual conference of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Breast Cancer Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170006.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170006.php Today's high-volume health care facilities require premium diagnostic imaging equipment that can image patients faster, with the best possible diagnostic accuracy. Huntington Hill Imaging Center has installed Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.'s Aquilion® Premium CT system, to enable them to meet the demands of their growing business. The Aquilion Premium features 160 detector rows to image up to 8 cm of anatomy in a single gantry rotation (as fast as 0.35 seconds). Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169983.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169983.php Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival. Their findings were presented this week at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Chicago. Prostate / Prostate Cancer Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169942.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169942.php Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center found that radiation treatment for women who had a lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer can be safely reduced to four weeks, instead of the usual six to seven weeks, by delivering a higher daily dose - greatly reducing the length of treatment time. The five-year results of the phase II study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. Breast Cancer Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169939.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169939.php A patient's socioeconomic status (income, marital status and race) has absolutely no impact on his outcome following curative radiation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "This study offers an extremely important message for all patients with prostate cancer who receive radiation therapy," says Benjamin Movsas, M.D. Prostate / Prostate Cancer Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169937.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169937.php What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during important office visits, compared to 12 percent of men, according to a randomized study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Cancer / Oncology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169875.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169875.php Emergency radiology, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance (MR) fluoroscopy will be highlighted as fields of imaging in which the UK is playing a key role, at a special session, "UK Presents" at the Radiological Society of North America's Annual Meeting in Chicago on Monday 30 November 2009. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169886.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169886.php What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during important office visits, compared to 12 percent of men, according to a randomized study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Cancer / Oncology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169887.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169887.php According to a study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), a shortened, more intensive course of radiation given to the whole breast, along with an extra dose of radiation given to the surgical bed of the tumor (concomitant boost), has been shown to result in excellent local control at a median follow up of two years after treatment with no significant sides effects. Breast Cancer Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169841.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169841.php Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a radiation therapy procedure pioneered at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) that precisely delivers a large dose of radiation to tumors, effectively controls pain in patients with cancer that has spread to the spine, according to researchers from UPCI. The results of the research were presented this week during the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Chicago, being held November 1 - 5, 2009. Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169890.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169890.php An article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet reports that when on-demand radiographs are dictated by the patient's clinical status, the number of radiographs carried out is a third less, without compromising patient care or safety. Current guidelines recommend routine daily chest radiographs for mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169772.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169772.php Patients with early stage, non-small cell lung cancer who are not able to undergo surgery, now have a highly effective treatment option. Physicians say that option, radical stereotactic radiosurgery performed with CyberKnife, leads to a 100 percent overall survival after three years in patients with good lung function before treatment. These are the results of a study presented at the annual CHEST meeting in San Diego. Lung Cancer Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169816.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169816.php Standard adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer patients, following primary surgery for their cancer, is Trastuzumab (Herceptin) - typically used in combination with chemotherapy. However, a new study by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center reports that it may be safe to treat these patients with both Trastuzumab and adjuvant radiation therapy. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Breast Cancer Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169817.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169817.php Optic nerve sheath meningiomas are rare tumors that are traditionally treated with surgery, which is typically a blinding procedure. However, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have found that a specialized type of radiation therapy offers the same local control, with fewer adverse effects on vision. The investigators presented their data at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting (Abstract #2676/B-261). Eye Health / Blindness Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169834.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169834.php Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have confirmed that patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer ("tonsil cancer") harbour a common type of human papilloma virus (HPV16), but also that such cancers are very sensitive to radiation. For some patients, this may mean successful treatment with radiation alone and avoiding the side effects of chemotherapy. "This represents the power of personalized medicine. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169839.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169839.php Radiation oncologists at Rush University Medical Center are intent on finding ways to avoid damage to the critically important hippocampus and limbic circuit of the brain when cranial radiation is required to treat existing or potential metastatic cancers. The goal is to spare these areas, which are responsible for short-term memory, as well as emotions, motivation, and a range of executive functions, such as planning and decision-making. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169773.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169773.php Treating a common brain tumor with multiple sessions of radiation appears to result in less brain swelling than treating the tumor once with a high dose of radiation, say researchers from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital. Benign brain tumors known as meningiomas are often treated with a single, high dose of radiation using stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). At Georgetown, SRS is conducted using CyberKnife. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169818.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169818.php Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of non-small cell lung cancer prior to receiving radiation therapy should not be the basis for determining areas that may benefit from higher doses of radiation, according to research presented by investigators at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting (Abstract #2583/B-186). Lung Cancer Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169741.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169741.php A shorter, five-week course of radiation treatment that delivers higher doses of radiation in fewer sessions, known as hypofractionation, appears to be just as effective and as safe in reducing the risk of prostate cancer from returning as standard radiation therapy, yet is delivered in two-and-a-half weeks less time, according to interim results of a randomized study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Prostate / Prostate Cancer Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169658.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169658.php Radiation dose delivered to the prostate and nearby organs in every brachytherapy procedure should be carefully analyzed using post-implant CT or MRI and uniformly documented in every patient, according to a new guideline co-authored by Yan Yu, Ph.D., director of Medical Physics in the department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169654.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169654.php A new study is taking a closer look at the benefits versus risks for lung cancer patients to undergo preventative brain radiation therapy as a means to stop cancer from spreading to the brain. Study results show that while preventative brain radiation for patients with non-small cell lung cancer - the most common form of lung cancer - does reduce the chance of developing brain metastases, it impacts some short-term and long-term memory. Lung Cancer