Radiation Oncology

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to damage cancer cells' DNA and destroy their ability to divide and grow. It is delivered using linear accelerators, proton accelerators, metered cobalt-60 exposure, or brachytherapy where radioactive seeds are placed inside the patient on a temporary or permanent basis to kill cancer or relieve pain. The main radiation oncology society and annual conference is the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

New radiotracer IDs numerous cancers likely to respond to targeted therapy

The radiotracer, 68Ga-PentixaFor, can be used for detecting C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which plays a significant role in cancer progression.

Helga and Zohar, the phantom passengers, on the flight deck of the Orion spacecraft. NASA/LM/DLR photo

NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission using phantom technology familiar to imaging specialists

Ehsan Samei, PhD, president-elect of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, helped NASA build medical phantoms that are literally out of this world. Samei detailed the project at RSNA 2022 in Chicago. 

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Ultrafast radiotherapy offers significant pain relief for patients with bone metastases

Experts involved in the new research suggested that their findings are in line with that of conventional palliative radiotherapy

High-risk prostate cancer patients benefit from shortened course of radiation therapy

At the annual ASTRO meeting, experts shared that not only did the shortened protocol shave weeks off of the scheduled treatment plan, it also did not come at the expense of increased toxicity. 

liver cancer

Radiation therapy extends progression-free survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Research presented this week at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual 2022 Meeting argues for the inclusion of radiation therapy as a standard of care in liver cancer patients who are ineligible for resection and other standard therapies. 

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PET/CT findings predict post-treatment, radiation-induced hypothyroidism

Radiation-induced hypothyroidism is common yet underdiagnosed, potentially owing to a lack of follow-up consensus in patients treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancers.

Radiation oncology relatively low in ‘hazardous attitudes,’ although ‘macho’ makes the radar

The Federal Aviation Administration assesses pilots for five “hazardous attitudes” that may forewarn of risky behaviors in the air. Therapeutic radiology researchers have adapted the FAA scale for radiation oncologists making treatment decisions.

New recommendations for cardiac CT in cardio-oncology imaging

The statement was written to fill gaps in recommendations from prior consensus statements and guidelines in regards to the use of CCT in cardio-oncology, including use of calcium scoring and ruling out coronary disease when cardiac function is impaired.