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).

Imaging may be misleading when determining the success of cancer treatment
A new analysis calls into question the use of imaging alone to determine the efficacy of ablative radiation therapy.
Prostate cancer radiotherapy timeline can be safely shortened
Isodose moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy allows patients to undergo just 4-5 weeks of treatment, compared to conventional therapy that can take around 8.
Simple CT metric predicts treatment-induced kidney impairment in prostate cancer patients
Though effective, Lu-177 radioligland therapy is not without side effects, some of which can be severe.
Tiny 'water bears' may hold key to reducing radiation-induced side effects
These animals are virtually indestructible and have long outlived the dinosaurs due to their ability to withstand extreme cold, heat, natural disasters and even cosmic radiation.
Orano Med breaks ground on $265M thorium production site
The new 7,000-square-meter plant is located in France and will begin production of thorium-228, necessary for the development of isotopes used in cancer treatments.

Experts have concerns about recently approved prostate cancer radiotherapy

In March of 2022, 177Lu-PSMA-617 was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in men with PSMA-avid disease who have previously undergone chemotherapy and a novel androgen receptor-directed therapy.

Incoming American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) President Ehsan Samei, PhD, DABR, FAAPM, FSPIE, FAIMBE, FIOMP, FACR, chief imaging physicist for Duke University Health System and the Reed and Martha Rice Distinguished Professor of Radiology at Duke, is part of the team that developed the two specialized, medical-grade mannequin humans to test how much radiation NASA astronauts will receive on the Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

VIDEO: Radiology expertise used to create radiation astronaut phantoms for the Artemis I moon mission

Incoming AAPM President Ehsan Samei, PhD, FACR, chief imaging physicist for Duke University Health System, helped develop two specialized radiology phantom astronauts to measure how much radiation NASA astronauts will receive on future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

Hospital-provided rideshare services could shorten radiation therapy treatment courses

Cancer patients who are offered free hospital-provided rideshare services are more likely to comply with radiation therapy recommendations.

SPECT technique might measure absorbed tissue dose from radiation therapy

Washington University is using a novel low-count quantitative SPECT technique to measure the concentration of alpha particle radiopharmaceutical therapy activity in the tumor and in radio-sensitive organs.

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.

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.

Radiation Oncology

Imaging may be misleading when determining the success of cancer treatment

Prostate cancer radiotherapy timeline can be safely shortened

Simple CT metric predicts treatment-induced kidney impairment in prostate cancer patients

Tiny 'water bears' may hold key to reducing radiation-induced side effects

Orano Med breaks ground on $265M thorium production site