OHSU Cancer Institute researchers study breathing during radiationSeptember 24, 2008PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon Health & Science University researchers have determined exactly how much breathing affects prostate movement during radiation treatment. The results of this research are being presented from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today at the 50th annual American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Boston. "Many people think that the prostate is a static organ, meaning that it doesn't move in relation to the bony pelvis, but that is not the case. The prostate is a moving organ, and we know it moves because of many factors including how full other organs are, such as the bladder," said Tasha McDonald, M.D., Radiological Society of North America research resident grant recipient, OHSU Department of Radiation Medicine.
Although previous studies have demonstrated that the prostate moves during the breathing cycle, McDonald used the new image-guided Calypso Medical System because it offers "real time" tracking. It works by using tiny beacons, inserted into the prostate, that report the exact location and the motion patterns inside the body over time. "Our research demonstrates that the prostate moves during the breathing cycle, mostly up and down, as much as 2 millimeters. We were able to determine this motion by evaluating the Calypso tracings of patients," McDonald said. The Calypso results were also verified by other radiation technology. "This is important information because in low-risk prostate patients, we treat the prostate (and seminal vesicles) with a small margin, 5 to 7 millimeters to account for prostate motion and set-up error. By knowing all the factors that contribute to prostate motion, we will be able to determine appropriate margins. If the margins are too large, there can be more normal tissue toxicity and if too small we could miss the prostate," McDonald said. Greater accuracy allows the delivery of higher-dose radiation, leaving healthy cells alone. This process simultaneously reduces side effects, specifically rectal and bladder toxicities, and erectile dysfunction, as well as offering patients a better chance for a cure. The presentation is titled, "Quantifying Respiratory-Induced Prostate Motion Using Real Time Tracking Technology." Radiation therapy is used to treat approximately 1 million cancer patients in the United States each year. It is one of the most effective cancer therapies. Each year, 218,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. In prostate cancer treatment the most common side effects arise when the radiation beam misses the prostate but irradiates adjacent healthy organs, causing complications like impotence, urinary incontinence and rectal bleeding. Therefore, doctors must guard against damaging healthy tissues that surround the tumor caused by misalignment and unpredictable tumor motion. Oregon Health & Science University | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Radiation Treatment Current Events and Radiation Treatment News Articles Delays in Radiation Therapy Lead to Increased Breast Cancer Recurrence A new analysis of the National Cancer Institute's cancer registry has found that as many as one in five older women experience delayed or incomplete radiation treatment following breast-conserving surgery, and that this suboptimal care can lead to worse outcomes. Breast cancer treatment offers better outcome to women with implants Women with early-stage breast cancer who have undergone breast augmentation may be treated successfully with a partial-breast radiation treatment called brachytherapy, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Proton therapy lowers chance of later cancers Patients who are treated with proton therapy (a specialized type of external beam radiation therapy using protons rather than X-rays to treat cancer) decreases the risk of patients developing a secondary cancer by two-fold, compared to being treated with standard photon radiation treatment. M. D. Anderson study finds racial disparities in radiation therapy rates for breast cancer Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Risk of death after cancer diagnosis; shift in stage of breast cancer diagnosis Cancer patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) have more advanced cancers at diagnosis, receive less aggressive treatment, and have a higher risk of dying in the five years following cancer diagnosis, according to a new study. The good and bad side of anti-cancer compounds Compounds known as "HDAC inhibitors" exhibit cancer-killing activities in cultured cells. While they are currently being tested as anti-cancer agents in clinical trials, just how they execute their effects is unclear. Mounting evidence shows red wine antioxidant kills cancer Rochester researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell's core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The study is published in the March edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Study identifies another strategy for normalizing tumor blood supply Manipulating levels of nitric oxide (NO), a gas involved in many biological processes, may improve the disorganized network of blood vessels supplying tumors, potentially improving the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy. Breast cancer cells have to learn to walk before they can run Early-stage breast cancer that has not yet invaded the surrounding tissues may already contain highly motile cells, bringing the tumor one step closer to metastasis, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Cell-death receptor links cancer susceptibility and inflammation For over 10 years, Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Genetics, and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been pursuing a cancer-targeting molecule called TRAIL and its molecular partners. More Radiation Treatment Current Events and Radiation Treatment News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||