Radiotherapy in Focus

Atlanta, GA—Patients with cancer treated with pelvic radiation did not have fewer bouts of diarrhea when treated prophylactically with the anti-inflammatory drug sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), a randomized trial showed. Patients receiving sulfasalazine had radiation-associated severe diarrhea almost 3 times as often as patients receiving placebo.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands—Expanded radiotherapy led to significantly better disease-free survival (DFS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS) rates in women with early breast cancer, according to the results of a large study reported at the European Cancer Congress 2013.