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HAIFA, Israel -- InSightec Ltd. has begun the second stage of its FDA approved Phase I clinical trial for non-invasive treatment of brain tumors using MR guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery on the ExAblate(r) system. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the safety of focused ultrasound delivered through an intact skull and to estimate the effect of the thermal ablation on the tumors. Patients with recurrent and inoperable glioblastomas or cerebral metastases are being recruited for this study.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today that more than 1,000 men have been treated for prostate cancer with the CyberKnife(R) Robotic Radiosurgery System. As the number of facilities worldwide offering CyberKnife treatments has grown more than 65 percent in the last year, the CyberKnife System is showing tremendous momentum as an alternative to surgery or other conventional prostate cancer treatments.

BARCELONA -- A devastating moment for a woman undergoing treatment for early breast cancer is to hear from her physician that, despite their best efforts, the disease has returned and she is no longer curable. Presented for the first time today at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO), an international survey of over 1,000 physicians and patients showed that physicians are also deeply affected by these negative conversations.

Researchers continue to search for a treatment to eradicate cancer, one of the mankind's greatest afflictions and although a "cure" remains elusive, a vaccine to treat and prevent it may just be on the horizon (see also Cancer Vaccines). Yvonne Paterson, Ph.D., a scientist who is also a breast cancer survivor, and her team of researchers appear to have taken a giant step forward by developing of a series of cancer-fighting vaccines that appear to be able to stop and even reverse cancer growth.

Q: I have a family history of breast cancer and am very confused about genetic testing. I have spoken to my doctor about getting tested and she wasn't sure if testing was worthwhile. She said it is expensive and wouldn't change how she took care of me. Can you tell me what these tests mean and how important my family history is in terms of my risk?