Patient Resources
Get Healthy!
Results for search "Radiation".
18 Aug
Skipping Radiation Therapy May Be Safe for Some Women with Early Breast Cancer
Women with a certain type of early-stage breast cancer may be able to omit radiation therapy.
13 Jun
Can Radiation Therapy Be Safely Skipped in Some Cancer Patients?
Two new studies find radiation therapy may not be necessary in treating some forms of rectal cancer and lymphoma.
Health News Results - 78
Cryoblation 'Freeze' Treatment Works for Large Breast Tumors
- Dennis Thompson and Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporters
- March 20, 2024
- Full Page
Killing off large tumors by freezing them could become an effective means of fighting difficult-to-treat breast cancer, a new study says.
Only 10% of people who underwent the m...
Senate Passes Bill to Compensate More Americans Exposed to Radiation
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- March 8, 2024
- Full Page
More Americans exposed to radiation caused by the government would be compensated under a bill that passed the U.S. Senate Thursday.
The bipartisan legislation, which would cost an estimated $50 ...
'Liquid Biopsy' Could Help Guide Lung Cancer Treatment
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- October 9, 2023
- Full Page
For a subset of patients with advanced lung cancer, radiation therapy can sometimes substantially extend their lives.
Now a new study hints that a blood test could...
Shorter Course of Radiation May Be Safe for Women Undergoing Breast Reconstruction
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 4, 2023
- Full Page
Breast cancer patients who undergo a mastectomy can probably benefit from a shorter course of more intense radiation therapy, a new study indicates.
Hypofractionated radiation therapy -- which provides a higher dose each session over three weeks -- provides the same prot...
Skipping Radiation May Be Safe for Some With Early Breast Cancer
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- August 17, 2023
- Full Page
Many women with early breast cancer undergo breast-conserving surgery along with radiation to kill any errant cancer cells, but some may be able to safely skip radiation, new research suggests.
“If the tumors are low-risk, as defined in part by being caught early/small...
Imaging Technology May Make Radiation Safer for Prostate Cancer Patients
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 25, 2023
- Full Page
A technique that uses imaging technology as a guide can make radiation therapy safer for patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, a new research review finds.
The technology enables clinicians to accurately aim the radiation beams at the prostate, while avoidin...
Breast Cancer Survivors Age Faster Biologically Than Cancer-Free Women: Study
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 21, 2023
- Full Page
Women who have survived breast cancer age faster than women who have never had to survive the disease.
The treatment they received impacted their aging rates, according to a
Can Some Cancer Patients Safely Skip Radiation Therapy? New Studies Say Yes
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 6, 2023
- Full Page
Radiation therapy might not be necessary in treating some forms of rectal cancer and lymphoma, sparing patients from the toxic treatment, a pair of new clinical trials shows.
One trial found that rectal cancer patients whose tumors shrink in response to chemotherapy can ...
New Hope Against Painful Skin Issues Caused by Cancer Radiation Therapy
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- May 8, 2023
- Full Page
When Ann Alexander underwent chemotherapy to treat breast cancer a decade ago, she was warned about potential hair loss, nausea and vomiting.
The 73-year-old wasn't, however, told about the potential side effects of radiation therapy, namely acute radiation dermatitis. S...
New Treatment Could Be Safer Way to Fight Brain Tumors in Kids
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- April 25, 2023
- Full Page
Each year, about 140 kids in the United States are diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma, a typically non-cancerous brain tumor that develops near the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
Doctors treat craniopharyngiomas with surgery to remove the entire tumor or a les...
How Many CT Scans Are Safe for Kids?
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- April 24, 2023
- Full Page
Getting a single CT scan during childhood doesn't appear to increase a child's risk of a future brain tumor, leukemia or lymphoma, new research finds, but getting four or more scans more than doubles the chances.
CT scans use low-dose radiation, which can damage cells. P...
Do Older Patients Need Radiation Rx After Breast Cancer Surgery?
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- February 16, 2023
- Full Page
Many older women with early-stage breast cancer can skip radiation without harming their survival odds, a new clinical trial finds.
The study involved women age 65 and older who had surgery for small breast tumors deemed to be low risk of coming back. Typically, those wo...
Gene Test Might Help Some Breast Cancer Patients Skip Radiation After Lumpectomy
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- December 9, 2022
- Full Page
A new genetic test may help determine which people with breast cancer can safely skip radiation after breast-conserving surgery to remove their tumor.
Individuals with invasive breast cancer who had low scores on an investigational gene panel were just as likely to ...
Study Takes Long-Term Look at Benefits of Radiation After Breast Lumpectomy
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- November 18, 2022
- Full Page
If you're diagnosed with early breast cancer, treatment often involves breast-conserving surgery followed by chemotherapy, medication and a course of radiation to keep your cancer from coming back. However, little has been known about the long-term benefits of radiation.
Pain Relief in a FLASH: Radiation Treatments Lasting Seconds May Advance Cancer Care
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- October 26, 2022
- Full Page
Flash radiotherapy, a new technology that uses targeted proton beams, is safe and effective in relieving pain for terminal cancer patients, a new, small study suggests.
...
How Dangerous Is It for Lung Cancer Patients to Skip Radiation Treatments?
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 25, 2022
- Full Page
As doctors work toward developing more personalized cancer care, a new study looks at whether lung cancer patients can miss a few days of radiation treatment and make them up with a higher dose.
The more treatments a patient skips, the higher their risk of early death, ...
Order of Radiation Sickness Drug Unrelated to Recent Events in Ukraine, U.S. Health Officials Say
- By Cara Murez and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- October 10, 2022
- Full Page
While the United States has recently ordered a $290 million supply of a drug meant to treat radiation sickness, federal health officials say that's not cause for alarm.
It's coincidental th...
Some Younger Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancers Might Skip Radiation
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 7, 2022
- Full Page
Tens of thousands of breast cancer patients could safely go without radiation therapy after their tumor has been removed, a new study argues.
Gene testing helped doctors identify a group of women who skipped
Black Men Get Better Outcomes From Radiation Rx for Prostate Cancer
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- January 3, 2022
- Full Page
A new analysis uncovers a racial paradox in prostate cancer care: While Black men are often diagnosed later and with more aggressive disease than white men, radiation therapy seems to work better for them than for their white peers.
To come to that conclusion, resea...
Black Women Have Triple the Odds for Lymphedema After Breast Cancer Surgery
- Cara Murez
- December 7, 2021
- Full Page
A condition called lymphedema is a well-known side effect of breast cancer treatment that can lead to swelling in the arms and legs.
New research suggests that Black women experience are at more than three times the risk of this painful issue compared to white women.
What You Need to Know About Stomach Cancer
- November 25, 2021
- Full Page
New treatment options are giving hope to patients with stomach cancer.
Also known as gastric cancer, the disease is the world's sixth most common cancer with 1.09 million new cases in 2020, according to the World Health Organization.
It's an abnormal growth of cell...
Breast Cancer Diagnosis Linked to Higher Odds for Dangerous A-Fib
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- November 16, 2021
- Full Page
Women with breast cancer are known to have heart problems related to treatment, and now a new study shows their odds of developing an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation (a-fib) may increase in the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis.
Women who develop a-fib...
Low-Dose CT Scans Can Diagnose Appendicitis
- Robert Preidt
- November 15, 2021
- Full Page
CT scans expose patients to radiation even as they help doctors spot serious health problems. Now a new study finds low-dose scans can readily spot appendicitis while reducing patients' radiation exposure.
"The results of this study suggest that the diagnostic CT scan ra...
50 Years On, Real Progress in War Against Cancer
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- November 11, 2021
- Full Page
Since 1971, when the U.S. government made defeating cancer a goal and put major funding behind it, death rates for many cancers have plummeted, but some are increasing, according to a new American Cancer Society report.
Death rates for all cancers combined have decl...
Shorter Course of Post-Op Radiation May Work Well for Prostate Cancer Patients
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- October 27, 2021
- Full Page
After prostate cancer surgery, men can safely undergo fewer radiation treatments at higher doses, a new clinical trial shows.
Researchers found that the shorter regimen -- given over five weeks, instead of seven -- did not raise patients' odds of lasting side effects.
Targeted High-Dose Radiation Helps Fight Advanced Lung Cancer
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- October 26, 2021
- Full Page
High-dose radiation therapy may stall tumor growth in patients with advanced lung cancer who are not fully responding to drug therapies, a preliminary study suggests.
The study involved patients whose lung cancer was considered "oligoprogressive." That means the cancer h...
Tough Choices: Chemo That Can Save Kids With Cancer Can Also Damage Hearing
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- September 28, 2021
- Full Page
The cancer drug cisplatin can save children's lives, but often with the side effect of hearing loss. Now a new study shows that young children are especially vulnerable, and the hearing damage may begin early in the course of treatment.
The researchers said the find...
Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer May Have Long-Term Risk for the Heart
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- September 22, 2021
- Full Page
Younger women who undergo radiation for cancer in the left breast have a heightened risk of heart disease years later, a new study finds.
Among women who received radiation therapy for left-sided breast cancer, 10.5% developed coronary artery disease over the next 27 yea...
Black Men Less Likely to Get Best Prostate Cancer Treatments
- Robert Preidt
- June 29, 2021
- Full Page
Black American military veterans with aggressive prostate cancer who would benefit from surgery or radiation are less likely to get those treatments than men of other races, despite equal access to health care, a new study finds.
"Despite great strides in prostate cancer...
Targeted Radiotherapy Might Help Men Battling Advanced Prostate Cancer
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 4, 2021
- Full Page
Patients with advanced prostate cancers may have newfound hope: Researchers identified a new potential treatment for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, which has no cure.
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer means the disease continues ...
No Genetic Damage to Kids of Those Exposed to Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster: Study
- Robert Preidt
- April 23, 2021
- Full Page
There's no evidence of genetic damage in the children of parents who were exposed to radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Ukraine, researchers say.
Several previous studies have examined the risks across generations of radiation exposure from...
Breast Cancer Over 70: How Much Treatment Is Enough?
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- April 20, 2021
- Full Page
Many women older than 70 can safely receive fewer treatments for early-stage breast cancer, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that adding lymph node removal or radiation to women's treatment did not seem to cut their risk of a breast cancer recurrence, which was lo...
COVID Fears Mean More Cancers Are Being Diagnosed at Later Stages
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- April 1, 2021
- Full Page
Cancer screening rates are beginning to rebound after plummeting during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey finds.
And patients are being diagnosed with more advanced cancers than before the pandemic, according to the American Society for Radiation O...
Radiation Rx for Prostate Cancer Can Cause Financial Pain: Study
- Cara Murez
- December 4, 2020
- Full Page
People diagnosed with cancer often have many concerns, including "financial toxicity," the hardship and stress associated with the cost of treatment.
New research found that for men with early-stage prostate cancer, choices about initial treatments can be a source of str...
Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer May Raise Heart Risks
- Dennis Thompson
- November 20, 2020
- Full Page
Hormone therapy can be a lifesaver for men with prostate cancer, but it also appears to put some at increased risk of heart problems, a new study reports.
Long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) increased the risk of heart-related death nearly fourfold in a group of...
Cancer Radiation Can Safely Proceed During COVID-19 Pandemic: Study
- Steven Reinberg
- August 27, 2020
- Full Page
Cancer patients who need radiation therapy shouldn't let fear of COVID-19 delay their treatment, one hospital study suggests.
Over six days in May, during the height of the pandemic in New Jersey, surfaces in the radiation oncology department at Robert Wood Johnson ...
Can Women With Early Breast Cancer Skip Post-Op Radiation?
- Cara Roberts Murez
- August 20, 2020
- Full Page
Instead of weeks of radiation following a lumpectomy, a new study shows that many women with early breast cancer do just as well with only a single dose of targeted radiation that is given during their surgery.
"Breast cancer outcomes, in terms of cancer coming back,...
Delaying Prostate Cancer Radiation Won't Lower Survival Odds
- Steven Reinberg
- August 14, 2020
- Full Page
The coronavirus pandemic has caused many to put off medical procedures, but a delay in radiation treatment for prostate cancer doesn't appear to affect survival, a new study shows.
Researchers found that men with intermediate- or high-risk localized prostate cancer ...
New Guidelines Could Double Number Eligible for Lung Cancer Screening
- Amy Norton
- July 7, 2020
- Full Page
CT scans have been proven to help spot lung cancer early and save lives. Now, updated expert recommendations could double the number of Americans who are eligible for the yearly screening.
The recommendations -- from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) -...
UV Light Won't Treat COVID-19 -- But It Might Disinfect Medical Gear
- Dennis Thompson
- April 28, 2020
- Full Page
Supplies of personal protective equipment remain scarce across the United States, especially the N95 respirator masks that health care workers use to protect themselves from the new coronavirus.
To help extend the useful life of available equipment, researchers and h...
Could Cellphone, Microwave Radiation During Pregnancy Raise ADHD Risk?
- Steven Reinberg
- March 24, 2020
- Full Page
Pregnant women exposed to high levels of radiation from cellphones, microwaves and Wi-Fi may be increasing their baby's risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests.
Called MF (magnetic fields) nonionizing radiation, these waves are...
Coping With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Serena Gordon
- March 24, 2020
- Full Page
Everyone is learning to deal with the threat of the new coronavirus, but for people with cancer, the virus is even more concerning.
Cancer can increase people's risk of catching the coronavirus. It increases the odds of complications from the infection, too.
...
U.S. Exposure to Medical Radiation Drops Dramatically
- Robert Preidt
- March 17, 2020
- Full Page
There's been a large decrease in Americans' exposure to medical radiation, according to a new study.
Between 2006 and 2016, medical radiation exposure among U.S. patients fell by 20%, reversing a steep, quarter century-long rise.
The number of diagnosti...
Radiation Treatments Need to Take Breast Size Into Account: Study
- Robert Preidt
- March 5, 2020
- Full Page
Breast size should be considered when positioning a breast cancer patient during radiation therapy, researchers say.
Even at low doses, radiation targeted at breast tumors can also affect nearby organs such as the heart and lungs, so patients are positioned lying fac...
Breast Cancer Care Far From Home for Rural Patients
- Kayla McKiski
- February 21, 2020
- Full Page
As rural hospitals and specialty care units close, a new study shows that some breast cancer patients are forced to travel long distances for their treatments.
University of Minnesota researchers found that those living in rural parts of the United States travel thr...
Roll Up Your Sleeve and Donate Blood for Cancer Patients
- Robert Preidt
- February 18, 2020
- Full Page
Many people don't realize that cancer patients are in constant need of blood supplies.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer can damage the body's ability to produce healthy blood cells and cause potentially life-threatening conditions. Blood transfusions h...
Radiation Treatment Is Hard on the Heart
- Robert Preidt
- February 17, 2020
- Full Page
Radiation therapy that targets cancers in the chest area can tax the heart and trigger high levels of fatigue, breathing problems and a reduced ability to exercise, a new study suggests.
However, doing more physical activity before undergoing radiation therapy...
Acupuncture May Ease a Common Side Effect of Cancer Treatment
- Steven Reinberg
- December 27, 2019
- Full Page
Dry mouth can be a troubling side effect of radiation therapy, but acupuncture may ease its symptoms, a new study suggests.
Of 339 patients getting radiation for head and neck cancer in the United States and China, those who had acupuncture had fewer symptoms of dry...
Radiation of Just Part of the Breast Can Stop Cancer's Return
- Serena Gordon
- December 12, 2019
- Full Page
A long-term study comparing two types of radiation treatment for early breast cancer found that accelerated partial breast radiation (APBI) appeared to do as well as standard whole breast radiation for keeping cancer at bay.
The study looked at 10-year recurrence ra...
Radiation for Head and Neck Cancer May Cause Problems Years Later
- Steven Reinberg
- September 30, 2019
- Full Page
Ten years after radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, some patients may develop problems speaking and swallowing, a new study finds.
These problems are related to radiation damage to the cranial nerves, the researchers explained. The condition is called radia...