Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
Retrograde urethrography is not the most popular imaging procedure for prostate cancer patients. The exam has historically been used for confirming anatomical landmarks in the prostate prior to radiation therapy, but it involves threading a catheter through the patient's urethra to release the required contrast medium.
Now, researchers from Texas are reporting that retrograde urethrography can be eliminated entirely from radiation therapy thanks to CT-based radiation therapy planning systems. The group found that using a CT simulator to identify the prostatic apex produced measurements just as accurate as retrograde urethrography.
You'll find their results in this edition's Insider Exclusive article, available to Radiation Oncology Insiders before the rest of the AuntMinnie.com membership.
In other news in the Radiation Oncology Digital Community, we're featuring several stories from the recent American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting in San Diego. In one article, a group from Michigan used functional diffusion-mapping MRI to provide an earlier assessment of response to radiation therapy treatment for glioma patients than traditional MRI. In another story, a French team found that a combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatment works well in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
In other headlines, learn more about the efficacy of radioembolization in treating liver disease, as well as one recommended approach for treating thyroid cancer when vein blockage is involved. Also learn about the cost to the U.S. healthcare system of cancer treatment in an article available here.
