ASTRO

A new template published by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) standardizes and streamlines the creation of patient-focused plans for long-term cancer survivor care following radiation therapy (RT). 

New data from clinical trials conducted at Penn Medicine’s Robert Proton Therapy Center demonstrate the technology's potential advantages over conventional radiation, including less side effects and survival in some cases, for several harder-to-treat tumors. This includes pancreatic, late-stage non-small cell lung and chordoma and chondrosarcoma, two rare cancers found in bone or soft tissue.

For patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, radiation therapy (RT) targeting only the involved lymph nodes regions results in less toxicity without causing a statistically significant difference in loco-regional lymph nodal recurrence, distant failure and overall survival rates, according to new research. Study findings were presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO’s) 57th annual meeting.

The steroid dexamethasone reduces radiation-induced pain flare in cancer patients with painful bone metastases, according to research presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO’s) 57th annual meeting.

A collaborative, patient reported outcome (PRO)-based approach by palliative care and radiation oncology teams results in better outpatient symptom management and a decrease in end-of-life hospitalizations and costs for late-stage cancer patients, according to new research.