Experts Offer Info on Lymphoma Radiation Treatments

Two new brochures to help patients with lymphoma learn more about their treatment options have been published by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

The brochures, Radiation Therapy for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Radiation Therapy for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, are meant to help patients and their families understand how radiation therapy works to treat cancers of the lymphatic system.

"Radiation therapy has been proven to be quite effective in the treatment of lymphomas, particularly Hodgkin's," Dr. Louis Harrison, chairman of the ASTRO communications committee and a radiation oncologist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, said in a prepared statement.

"I hope these brochures will help people with lymphoma better understand their treatment options so they can make the best, most informed decision on their care," Harrison said.

The information in the brochures will help lymphoma patients when they talk with their doctors about using radiation therapy as part of their treatment, ASTRO says. The brochures will also help patients locate support groups and information on clinical trials.

Nearly 64,000 new cases of lymphoma will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Free copies of the brochure are available by calling 1-800-962-7876. The brochure can also be viewed online here.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

New Treatment Destroys Kidney Tumors

June 29, 2005 08:41:08 PM PST

Radiofrequency ablation uses heat created by electrical energy to destroy tumor tissue. The treatment is delivered through a thin needle that's guided to the target using CT scan, ultrasound or other imaging techniques.

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston reviewed data on 16 patients with a total of 20 tumors who were treated with the new technique.

They report that within four years of treatment, five of the patients died from causes unrelated to kidney cancer. None of the remaining 11 patients experienced tumor recurrence or metastasis of the kidney tumor during the four to six years following their radiofrequency ablation therapy. The findings are published in the July issue of the Journal of Urology.

"This study shows, for the first time, that this is a very effective long-term treatment," study author Dr. W. Scott McDougal, chief of urology, said in a prepared statement.

"Right now, older patients with small lesions in limited areas of their kidneys are good candidates for this procedure. We need to wait for 10-year follow-up information to determine whether it will be appropriate for patients with a longer life expectancy," McDougal said.

More information

The American Medical Association has more about kidney cancer.

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