Although the Choosing Wisely campaign argues only one radiation treatment, or fraction, is needed to control bone pain in the palliative treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, half of patients received more than 10 fractions, according to a research letter published Oct. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Following the National Lung Screening Trial, which demonstrated a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer mortality for low-dose CT screening in high-risk patients, some have clamored for expanded CT screening efforts.

Triad Isotopes, Inc. (Triad) has announced the addition of two nationally-recognized executives to the company’s leadership team.  Kerry E. Gillespie, CPA, CGMA has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operations Officer (COO).  Douglas Ash has joined the company as Chief Information Officer (CIO).  Both report to Dom Meffe, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that a specific protein pair may be a successful prognostic biomarker for identifying smoking-related lung cancers. The protein — ASCL1 — is associated with increased expression of the RET oncogene, a particular cancer-causing gene called RET. The findings appear in the online issue of the journal Oncogene.

Multiparametric MRI has high diagnostic ability for anterior prostate cancer and was able to identify lesions missed by a standard transrectal 12-core prostate biopsy, according to a study published in the September issue of The Journal of Urology.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of a Perjeta (pertuzumab) regimen for neoadjuvant treatment (use before surgery) in people with high-risk, HER2-positive early stage breast cancer. This approval is based primarily on data from a Phase II study showing that nearly 40 percent of people receiving the combination of Perjeta, Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy had no evidence of tumour tissue detectable at the time of surgery (known as a pathological complete response, or pCR). The Perjeta regimen is the first neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment approved by the FDA and also the first to be approved based on pCR data.

Referring patients to a telephone counseling intervention that promotes colorectal cancer screening is a feasible strategy for primary care physicians to use and may coax some hesitant patients to follow through with screening, according to a study published Sept. 16 in the American Journal of Managed Care.

The American Board of Radiology Foundation (ABRF) and Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announce that Varian is awarding a $100,000 second year renewal grant to the ABRF, to continue its work establishing a national brachytherapy registry. The registry, which is the first such nationwide modality-based project in radiation oncology, is linked to the American Board of Radiology's (ABR's) Innovation Pathway in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) for Focused Practice Recognition of Brachytherapy.