Through a collaborative effort by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR), practice guidelines for image guided radiation therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy have been created and released to assist practitioners in providing appropriate radiologic care for patients.

In acknowledgment of recent media reports regarding serious errors in the delivery of radiation therapy, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) last week released a six-point patient protection plan that seeks to improve safety and quality, while reducing the chance of medical errors.

Following the Medicare reimbursement plan of 2005, which increased payments to physicians for outpatient surgeries for bladder cancer, a dramatically higher number of bladder cancer cases were treated in the outpatient or physician office setting, but the number of hospital-based bladder cancer procedures did not significantly decline, according to a report published Feb. 8 in Cancer.

Hypofractionated radiotherapy regimens for the treatment of breast cancer patients does not result in increased physical side effects in the breast or detriment to body image and is equally as effective at reducing the risk of further cancer in the breast, which can lead to better quality of life for patients, according to the results of the START study published online Feb. 8 in the Lancet Oncology.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a panel Thursday to identify ways to increase the use and quality of colorectal cancer screening in the U.S.

Thoratec, a provider in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies for failing hearts, has reported positive outcomes for the fourth quarter and the 2009 fiscal year, partly due to strong HeartMate sales.

Unlike other colorectal cancer screening tests that are currently recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CT colonography (CTC) screening appears to be held to a higher standard, according to a perspective published in the Feb. 3 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A systematic review of the Massachusetts healthcare system found significant variations amongst hospitals and physicians that were not based on quality of care, according to a preliminary investigation conducted by the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley.