Diacor News and Opinion

According to a new study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, adding hormone therapy to radiation therapy for men with intermediate and high risk prostate cancer can reduce the overall survival rate of men. Researchers found that over a span of 5 years, men with heart conditions who received hormone therapy had a 31.8% mortality rate, compared to the 19.5% mortality rate of those who did not receive hormone therapy. For more information, please click here.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology has recently published a paper on IMRT safety. IMRT, or intensely modulated radiation therapy, has been a technique used the last few decades, which provides a safe and effective delivery of radiation. However, it also requires much more time and resources from cancer clinics to be performed correctly. ASTRO raises three main concerns about IMRT in their paper, the first being the staff must work together in order to improve patient safety. The second concern is to suggest standard operating procedures to provide time for quality reviews and to have quality assurance checks at key points during the process. Finally, the third concern is that delays in initiation of treatment may be necessary in order to to allow enough time for quality assurance checks and investigation of any problems discovered. For more information on this press release, please visit http://cs.astro.org/blogs.

Adding radiation therapy to treatment with women with early breast cancer who have had breast conserving surgery lessens the chance of the cancer recurring. At the end of the five year study, patients having radiation therapy in addition to the breast lumpectomy had a 41% lower rate of recurrence in the breast and a 36% lower rate of recurrence in the rest of the body. The results of the study have been announced at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. For more information, please visit their website at asco.org.

A new report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. estimates that the global radiation therapy equipment market to reach US$3.6 billion by the year 2015.  Rising incidence of cancer and aging population are expected to propel demand for radiation therapy, globally.  Other driving factors include increases in number of diagnosed cancer cases, technological advancements, and rising demand for new applications.

To review the full press release by GIA, please visit PRWeb for further information.

Diacor is pleased to announce that Biomedia Holdings Pte Ltd will begin representing Diacor products and solutions in Singapore.  Myra Chung, Marketing Director for Biomedia Holdings, and Diacor confirmed the agreement over the weekend.  Diacor is thrilled with the opportunity to work with Myra and the Biomedia Holdings organization and looks forward to supporting their sales and marketing efforts in the Singapore market.  Biomedia will represent the following Diacor product families:

• Centralite and Centralite CT Patient Alignment Lasers
• MammoRx Breast and Thorax Immobilization System
• Zephyr Patient Transport System
• CT Overlays

Please visit our distributor section for contact information for Biomedia Holdings.

ASTRO released a press release yesterday, noting a study in the June 1st issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, that breast cancer patients can reduce their risk of recurrence by almost 30% and increase their five-year overall survival by almost 50% with use of Postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT).  Click here to view the full press release.

Members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) created a new web site last fall for helping cancer patients and their families understand the available radiotherapy treatment options.  The site includes treatment information, statistics, dictionary of radiation therapy terms, as well as quick links for discovering additional detail.  For example, the site notes that nearly 1.5 million Americans will learn they have cancer this year and that 2/3rds of all cancer is treated with radiation. 

The site is called RTAnswers.org and looks to be a great resource for the radiation therapy community.