New Studies Show Promising Results for Cancer Treatment.

A large clinical trial has found that rectal cancer patients may not need radiation therapy, which can have serious side effects such as infertility and sexual dysfunction. The study, which focused on patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, found that radiation treatment did not improve outcomes compared to chemotherapy and surgery alone. The results could give more than 10,000 patients annually in the United States the option to forgo radiation therapy. The trial is part of a new direction for cancer researchers, who are starting to ask if there are elements of successful treatments that can be eliminated to provide patients with a better quality of life.