Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
Topics in radiation oncology were well represented at the recent annual meeting of the RSNA. In this month's Insider Exclusive, we focus on a seldom-covered topic: the effectiveness of Gamma Knife-based stereotactic radiosurgery in managing low-grade gliomas.
A research team from Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital/Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of patients treated from 1999 through 2006. Read about the findings they presented in the Windy City.
In another RSNA paper, U.S. researchers reported that a lumpectomy followed by a five-day course of brachytherapy preserves cosmesis for breast cancer patients with implants. Based on patient outcomes to date, this is a viable alternative to mastectomy for patients who have lesions smaller than 3 cm. Learn more from contributing writer Edward Susman's comprehensive report.
Is a two-day dose of accelerated partial-breast irradiation effective in the long term for patients with early-stage breast cancer? A presentation on the topic generated questions and concerns in an RSNA session. What do you think? Click here to read about this controversial clinical trial.
Shifting to more good tidings for this December newsletter, both overall cancer incidence and death rates have declined for men and women in the U.S. for the first time ever. Click here to read a concise summary of the annual report of the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.
Also, adding local radiotherapy to endocrine treatment can markedly reduce prostate cancer-specific mortality in some patients, according to researchers from Umea University in Sweden.
Finally, in a report from the November 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers announced that proton therapy reduces bone marrow toxicity compared with conventional intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Learn how this can positively impact treatment by clicking here, or by visiting the Radiation Oncology Digital Community.
Best wishes to all during the remainder of this holiday season!
