Ten-year results from the FAST study show that there are no significant differences in normal tissue effects (NTE) rates after 28.5 Gy/5 fractions (fr) compared with 50 Gy/25 fr in patients with early breast cancer; however, NTE were higher with 30 Gy/5 fr, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. In an interview with i3 Health, Murray Brunt, MBBS, FRCP, FRCR, lead study author, provides insights on the significance of these results and how treatment will evolve in the...

In people with HIV and cancer, antiretroviral therapy is often used during cancer treatment to mitigate complications of HIV progression. However, questions regarding long-term effects of cancer treatment in this patient population remain, such as the immunosuppressive effects on HIV RNA level and CD4 count, which are indicators of a patient's morbidity and mortality. Therefore, scientists sought to measure the link between these biomarkers and associated mortality after cancer treatment. They p...

​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...

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, ...