Thursday, April 20, 2017

Head Start III Trial Suggests Radiation Benefits May Outweigh Risks


Dr. Rajiv (Raj) Dahiya holds an MD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Medicine. He serves as a radiation oncologist at Premier Cancer Centers in Dallas, TX, and concurrently works with Predictive Medical Solutions, a state-of-the-art diagnostic testing service. Dr. Raj Dahiya is accomplished in minimally invasive therapies, including advanced radiation technologies.

In April 2017, researchers published findings from the recent Head Start III trial. This clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of treatments for pediatric patients with brain tumors that exposed them to minimal or no radiation. Some patients received standard radiation treatments as a control group, while a second group underwent high-dose chemotherapy and then a stem cell transfusion in lieu of radiation. 

Radiation can be very harmful to children, especially very young children. Many parents and physicians have been reluctant to start pediatric patients on radiation because of its impact on brain development. However, the Head Start III trial suggests that radiation therapy leads to the best outcomes for pediatric patients. Those who did not receive radiation generally experienced worse outcomes, highlighting the importance of well-timed, well-dosed radiation treatments.

Monday, April 10, 2017

IMPT Study Presented at ASTRO Meeting


As a radiation oncologist at Premier Cancer Centers in Dallas, TX, Dr. Rajiv “Raj” Dahiya employs some of the most innovative radiation techniques available to treat cancer patients. In order to stay informed about current industry trends and network with peers, Dr. Raj Dahiya maintains membership in the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

A study introduced during the recent Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers Symposium suggests that intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) could help patients with lung cancer, keeping the disease from coming back within a year following the radiation therapy. Using the proton therapy technique, radiation oncologists target cancer cells while leaving normal tissue intact. This therapy is also able to focus on a specific tumor even if it envelops vital organs like the lung.

The average rate of overall survival for those in the study who received IMPT was 18 months. Those who were subject to higher doses experienced even more benefits, as they experienced local failure at only half the rate of the average population and local-regional failure at a quarter of the rate.