Jordana Bieze Foster

Although preoperative radiotherapy has been shown to improve recurrence and mortality rates in patients with rectal cancer, a quality-of-life analysis by the same researchers suggests that male sexual dysfunction and fecal incontinence may be the trade-offs for those improved outcomes

The risks associated with neoadjuvant hormonal therapy may outweigh the benefits of its use in conjunction with brachytherapy in some older men with prostate cancer, according to research from the radiation oncology program at Boston’s Harvard Medical School.

Shortening the course of whole-breast irradiation aft er lumpectomy from fi ve weeks to three can improve convenience and cut costs without sacrificing results, according to research from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Information on the relative health benefits and risks of alcohol consumption seems to come out on a monthly basis, but the early days of 2009 were particularly flooded with such reports. Three high-profile studies offered more evidence of a significant association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk.

A study of Pittsburgh-area cancer patients suggests that many are opting out of clinical trials because, as members of Medicare HMO plans, they cannot afford the additional expense such trials entail.

BOSTON-Retrospective data from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital may help alleviate fears that proton radiation therapy increases the risk of secondary cancer relative to conventional photon therapy.

BOSTON-Acupuncture alleviates severe vasomotor symptoms as effectively as the antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor) in breast cancer patients receiving anti-estrogen therapy, according to research from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

BOSTON-Accelerated partial breast irradiation using balloon brachytherapy drastically shortens treatment duration without aff ecting mortality and ipsilateral recurrence rates, according to three- and four-year follow-up data presented at ASTRO 2008.

BOSTON-It’s no secret that quality assurance is essential for ensuring the accuracy of clinical trials. But the potential for real-time intervention also gives modern-era QA an unprecedented ability to improve outcomes, according to research presented at the ASTRO 2008 meeting (abstract 2576).