Radiation Oncology

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to damage cancer cells' DNA and destroy their ability to divide and grow. It is delivered using linear accelerators, proton accelerators, metered cobalt-60 exposure, or brachytherapy where radioactive seeds are placed inside the patient on a temporary or permanent basis to kill cancer or relieve pain. The main radiation oncology society and annual conference is the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Helga and Zohar, the phantom passengers, on the flight deck of the Orion spacecraft. NASA/LM/DLR photo

NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission using phantom technology familiar to imaging specialists

Ehsan Samei, PhD, president-elect of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, helped NASA build medical phantoms that are literally out of this world. Samei detailed the project at RSNA 2022 in Chicago. 

Thumbnail

Ultrafast radiotherapy offers significant pain relief for patients with bone metastases

Experts involved in the new research suggested that their findings are in line with that of conventional palliative radiotherapy

High-risk prostate cancer patients benefit from shortened course of radiation therapy

At the annual ASTRO meeting, experts shared that not only did the shortened protocol shave weeks off of the scheduled treatment plan, it also did not come at the expense of increased toxicity. 

liver cancer

Radiation therapy extends progression-free survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Research presented this week at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual 2022 Meeting argues for the inclusion of radiation therapy as a standard of care in liver cancer patients who are ineligible for resection and other standard therapies. 

Thumbnail

PET/CT findings predict post-treatment, radiation-induced hypothyroidism

Radiation-induced hypothyroidism is common yet underdiagnosed, potentially owing to a lack of follow-up consensus in patients treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancers.

New recommendations for cardiac CT in cardio-oncology imaging

The statement was written to fill gaps in recommendations from prior consensus statements and guidelines in regards to the use of CCT in cardio-oncology, including use of calcium scoring and ruling out coronary disease when cardiac function is impaired.

The approach—called GammaTile—involves placing small radiation seeds at a tumor site during surgery.

New radiation therapy treatment stalls recurrence while sparing healthy tissue in patients with brain cancer

The treatment has the potential to “extend lifespans and improve quality of life” in patients with brain cancer, according to experts at UC San Diego Health. 

Two examples of PSMA-PET scans showing numerous prostate cancer metastases spread throughout the body. Many of these smaller tumors would not have been dected on previous standard-of-care imaging. Photo on left courtesy of SNMMI, right University of Chicago. #PSMAPET

PSMA-PET is rapidly changing the standard of care for prostate cancer patients

Adoption of PSMA-PET has been swift because it can significantly improve prostate cancer detection and treatment. SNMMI President Munir Ghesani, MD, explains how.

Around the web

The new technology shows early potential to make a significant impact on imaging workflows and patient care. 

Richard Heller III, MD, RSNA board member and senior VP of policy at Radiology Partners, offers an overview of policies in Congress that are directly impacting imaging.
 

The two companies aim to improve patient access to high-quality MRI scans by combining their artificial intelligence capabilities.