New radiation therapy could help cancer patients

Scientists have discovered that an alternative form of radiation therapy could improve outcomes and reduce side effects for certain cancer patients.

According to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center, an advanced radiation therapy technique called Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) could provide the key to the future treatment of patients with extranodal lymphoma of the head and neck.

Standard radiation therapy can leave these patients with damage to the salivary glands, which causes dry mouth and creates problems with eating, speaking and swallowing but IMRT produces no major side effects and has a high response rate.

"IMRT is a promising technique that should be used to treat extranodal lymphoma, in addition to chemotherapy," said Dr Aruna Turaka, a radiation oncologist at Fox Chase, and who presented the findings at the 2011 Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference today (August 15th).

"Radiation acts as a form of local treatment that prevents loco- regional relapses, and chemotherapy helps to prevent systemic relapses," she added.