SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Radiation is one of the key treatments in the fight against all forms of cancer. In fact, more than 50 percent of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy – that means that this year, more than 650,000 people in the U.S. will receive radiation to try and wipe out their disease. Now, a new radiation therapy is turning cancer against itself. Late-stage cancers
This year, 230,000 men and women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, about 400,000 will be diagnosed with bone cancer.
Terrence Williams, MD, a radiation oncologist at City of Hope says, “Metastatic lung or bone disease, we’re usually talking about stage four cancer at that point.”
For late-stage malignant bone and lung cancers, survival is measured in months, not years. But now, a new type of targeted radiotherapy is turning cancer cells against themselves.
“One therapeutic option that is emerging now is something called biology guided radiation therapy,” explains Dr. Williams.
Radiation oncologists at the City of Hope are some of the first to use the Reflection X1 Linear Accelerator – it’s the world’s first real-time linear accelerator to help visualize the cancer.
Dr. Williams adds, “Real-time PET guided radiation therapy is utilizing the positron emission that comes from the tumor to triangulate where the tumor is in the body and immediately target radiation back to the tumor.”
The Reflection X1 can see precisely where to aim the beams of radiation, even when the tumor is moving. This decreases the risk of damaging healthy cells during radiation, giving doctors and their patients another tool to help track down cancer and destroy it.
Earlier this year, the Reflexion received clearance from the FDA to treat primary or metastatic lung and bone cancer tumors.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer-non-small-cell/statistics
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: BEATING LATE-STAGE CANCERS: TURNING CANCER CELLS AGAINST THEMSELVES
REPORT: MB #5311
BACKGROUND: Cancer is a group of diseases that happens when there’s uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. These cells can form tumors, invade nearby tissues, and, in some cases, metastasize, which means it spreads to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were over 1.6 million cases of cancer in 2020 and over 600,000 people died from cancer. There are many types of cancer, each with its own characteristics, risk factors, and treatment options. The most common types of cancer are: breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma. Cancer can affect anyone at any age, of any race.
(Sources: https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/index.htm)
DIAGNOSING: Signs and symptoms of cancer differ from the type of cancer someone has, but the general signs of cancer include, but are not limited to: fatigue, lumps under the skin, unexplainable weight gain or weight loss, changes in appearance of skin, changes in bowel or bladder habits, trouble breathing or cough that won’t go away, trouble swallowing, hoarseness, and/or unexplained bleeding or bruises. Doctors are able to diagnose specific cancers with physical exams, lab tests, imaging tests like CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans, and/or biopsies.
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20370588
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370594)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Treatment for any cancer can vary from chemotherapy to surgery. One of the newest ways to treat cancer is with biology guided radiotherapy. According to the City of Hope’s website, “The RefleXion X1 system delivers SCINTIXTM biology-guided radiotherapy, a leading-edge treatment that combines PET scans with targeted radiation therapy. By using fluorodeoxyglucose, or FDG, which is a radiotracer that causes solid tumors to light up on a PET scan, cancer cells are tracked in real time, even in tumors that are moving.” Radiation Oncologist at the City of Hope, Terrence Williams, MD, PhD, had a hand in developing the newest cancer treatment.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Zen Logdson
(626) 409-9367
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
