Radiation Therapy News and Research

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Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy, x-ray therapy, or irradiation) is the use of a certain type of energy (called ionizing radiation) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy injures or destroys cells in the area being treated (the “target tissue”) by damaging their genetic material, making it impossible for these cells to continue to grow and divide. Although radiation damages both cancer cells and normal cells, most normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation and function properly. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage as many cancer cells as possible, while limiting harm to nearby healthy tissue.

Repair proteins can help healthy cells to avoid damage during cancer therapy

A key way radiation therapy and chemotherapy work is by making highly lethal double-strand breaks in the DNA of cancer cells.

10 Dec 2020

Study: Gut microbiota directly shapes the makeup of human immune system

In recent years, the microbiota -- the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live on and in the human body -- has captured the attention of scientists and the public, in part because it's become easier to study. It has been linked to many aspects of human health.

1 Dec 2020

Cell survival protein could protect the kidneys from 'bystander' damage during cancer therapy

Australian researchers have identified a protein that could protect the kidneys from 'bystander' damage caused by cancer therapies.

From Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) 26 Nov 2020

Gut microbes mitigate radiation exposure, repair GI tract

A new study by scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues published Oct. 30, 2020, in Science, showed that mice exposed to potentially lethal levels of total body radiation were protected from radiation damage if they had specific types of bacteria in their gut.

2 Nov 2020

Researchers identify a valuable source for treating pediatric cancer

For many cancers, doctors are increasingly looking to the DNA that solid tumors shed into the blood stream to help with diagnosis and monitoring.

22 Oct 2020

Researchers identify drug that could overcome tumor resistance

Scientists have discovered that a drug that may make some melanoma tumors perceptible to the immune system, enabling them to be better targeted.

15 Oct 2020

Genetic test identifies patients with invasive lobular carcinoma at high risk of recurrence

New results to be presented at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference show that a test, which looks at the activity of 70 genes in breast cancer tissue, is possible to use in the clinic to identify patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) that is at high risk of recurring and progressing.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers identify key molecules that contribute to radioresistance in glioblastoma

Scientists have identified key molecules that mediate radioresistance in glioblastoma multiforme; these molecules are a potential target for the treatment of this brain cancer.

1 Oct 2020

Scientists identify key genes that influence cancer treatment success

Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of today's cancer treatment. About half of all people suffering from cancer with a so-called radiotherapy.

26 Aug 2020

Researchers add a component to make cancer vaccine more effective

Jefferson researchers developing a cancer vaccine to prevent recurrences of gastric, pancreatic, esophageal and colon cancers have added a component that would make the vaccine more effective.

25 Aug 2020

Gene targeting could lead to better treatment of glioblastoma tumors

New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma.

19 Aug 2020

DNA repair tool is tailored to deal with specific type of complex break, study shows

Our cells are constantly dividing, and as they do, the DNA molecule - our genetic code - sometimes gets broken. DNA has twin strands, and a break in both is considered especially dangerous.

7 Jul 2020

Researchers unlock a weakness in common type of cancer cells

Like any cells in the body, cancer cells need sugar - namely glucose - to fuel cell proliferation and growth. Cancer cells in particular metabolize glucose at a much higher rate than normal cells.

19 Jun 2020

Treating solid cancers using the formation of natural killer-tumor cell immunological synapse

There are immune cells in our bodies that directly destroy infected or cancer cells - they are called natural killer cells. Recently, a POSTECH research team has developed an integrative cancer therapy using adoptive natural killer cell therapy and chemotherapy.

14 May 2020