Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
Radiation therapy of the axillary lymph nodes could be a better alternative to surgical dissection for patients with node-positive breast cancer, according to a study presented on April 30 at the American Society of Breast Surgeons meeting in Las Vegas.
Lymph node dissection is associated with a high rate of side effects, Dutch researchers reported. Axillary radiation therapy has been seen as an alternative, but there have been limited data on the procedure, they said. The research group compared the two procedures in nearly 5,000 patients, producing results that you can read about in this edition's Insider Exclusive.
In other news, a study from the Society of Interventional Radiology meeting last month indicated that radioembolization with yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres has potential for treating breast cancer patients whose cancer has spread to the liver, and who don't have other treatment options. Researchers from Northwestern University found that Y-90 therapy stabilized disease in 99% of those who were treated -- patients who hadn't responded to chemotherapy. Learn more by clicking here.
Also in your Radiation Oncology Digital Community, the American Society for Radiation Oncology has released new guidelines that detail the use of adjuvant radiation therapy in the treatment of endometrial cancer. Find out what they say by clicking here.
Another group, the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, has released a new standard that details key technical information for synchronizing radiation therapy equipment with the patient's breathing and other movements during cancer treatment.
And the publication earlier this month of data revealing how much individual physicians make from Medicare is drawing fire from at least one oncology group, which believes the data are "misleading, confusing, and potentially harmful to cancer patients."
