​A phase 3 trial reports that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), which takes significantly less time than standard-of-care intensity-modulated fractionated radiotherapy (IMRT), is equally safe for patients with prostate cancer. The international, open-label PACE-B trial (NCT01584258) randomized 874 men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate adenocarcinoma in a 1:1 ratio to receive either SBRT (36.25 Gy) in five fractions over one to two weeks, or conventionally fractionated or moderately hy...

Studies have shown that unmarried patients with cancer are less likely to receive surgery and radiotherapy than their married counterparts; they are also less likely to survive their cancer. In a research-based perspective essay published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Joan DelFattore, PhD, MS, a survivor of stage IV gallbladder cancer, suggests that contrary to assumptions made by a number of researchers, the disparities in cancer treatment for individuals who are single may stem not f...

While conventional radiation therapy can be effective for patients with breast cancer, it carries with it risk of damage to the heart and lungs. Proton beam radiotherapy, a specialized type of external beam radiation that precisely targets a tumor with high doses of radiation while minimizing damage to nearby tissue and critical organs, shows promise as an alternative for some patients. In a phase 2 study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a team of researchers at Massachuse...

The most common type of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has limited treatment options and a low survival rate. Traditionally, patients whose disease is resectable—able to be removed by surgery—have been treated with a post-operative adjuvant approach, consisting of surgery followed by chemotherapy or radiation. In recent years, however, there has been a heightened interest in perioperative treatment, in which patients receive chemotherapy or radiation both before and a...

A phase 2 trial reports that in patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer requiring postoperative radiation therapy, proton beam radiotherapy has low toxicity, with efficacy comparable to that of conventional radiotherapy. A specialized type of external beam radiation, proton beam radiotherapy precisely targets a tumor with high doses of radiation to kill cancerous cells while minimizing damage to nearby tissue and critical organs such as the heart and lungs. For this safety and efficacy study, ...