Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy

Using radiation as a means of treating mesothelioma is termed as Mesothelioma Radiation therapy. The status with regard to medical intervention related to mesothelioma is currently not curative. The trimodal approach being followed presently by doctors includes the use of mesothelioma surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These are used alone or in combination for the following purposes:

• to control the spread of the cancer;
• to extend a patient’s life;
• as a mesothelioma palliative measure to reduce the consequent suffering;
• and thereby to improve the quality of life.

Mesothelioma radiation therapy treatments

Radiation Therapy, as the name suggests, makes use of energy waves or particles in a medical context. The aim may be to destroy cancer cells, shrink tumors, or simply to prevent future growth. It may also be used as a palliative to alleviate the symptoms associated with cancer that has spread.

Radiation emanates from high energy X-Rays, photons, neutrons, cobalt or other radioactive sources. This radiation is produced from machines and radioisotopes and technology continues to make rapid strides and introduces promising new advances with each passing decade.

In the treatment of mesothelioma as in other forms of cancer, different types of radiation are used. These may be any of the following:

• External
• Internal
• Systemic

Each of these types of radiation has typical advantages and the location and spread of cancer to be targeted mandates the dosage and administration choice by the treating physician or the surgeon.

Mesothelioma radiation exposure as an effective treatment

Radiation destroys cancer cells at the molecular level and can be so focused that healthy cells may remain unaffected, which is not the case in surgery and chemotherapy used in mesothelioma treatment. Some commonly used types of radiation therapies are discussed here.

External Radiation: is a beam of light that is produced in a machine and focused on a target inside the human body where a tumor or cancer cell is located. Cancers like mesothelioma that are difficult to extract owing to the position or are likely to return after surgery are often treated with external radiation. This type of radiation may be given to reduce the size of the tumor before surgery begins so that there is less mass to cut out. It may also be administered during the surgical intervention itself. The process also helps reduce the chances of recurrence when given after the surgery is over.

In patients of mesothelioma short listed for this type of therapy, radiation is typically given five days a week over a period of three to five weeks.

Internal Radiation: is also called brachytherapy. Radioactive material in the form of a seed or capsule is inserted into the body and placed near the location of the cancer. The seed emanates cancer killing rays in a radius of one centimeter and healthy cells are not affected. This type of radiation is not very frequently used for treatment of mesothelioma but it can reach deeply entrenched tumors and provides concentrated radiation in a shorter time frame. The radioactive material inside the body gets diffused after the stipulated time or its life span and its remains along with the dead cancer cells are eliminated from the body through normal excretory processes. The residual elements do not usually harm the cells in the body after the treatment.

Systemic Radiation: involves oral ingestion of the radioactive substance orally or injection of the substance that circulates throughout the body in this way.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery: is a very focused treatment that uses a high-dose beam of radiation to eliminate cancer post surgery. This type of radiosurgery is most effectively used for tumors of the brain as also tumors in other parts of the body.

The benefits of radiation in patients suffering from mesothelioma include

• It kills cells that replicate fast
• It shrinks tumors to a manageable size
• It relieves a great deal of pain and shortness of breath that victims of pleural mesothelioma most often complain of.

As in all aggressive methods of treatment, radiation has side effects although these are negligible compared to the benefits. Most reported side effects include:

• The area surrounding the portion where radiation was given becomes red and sensitive;
• Reproductive organs are affected leading to infertility;
• Loss of appetite and sensation of vomiting and uneasiness are common;
• Feeling tired and drained of energy;
• Loss of hair or baldness;
• Diarrheic reactions and dryness in the mouth.

Not all patients can be considered suitable for mesothelioma radiation treatment. The treating physician makes a judgment based on various factors like size, stage, location, and type of cancer. These same factors would also mandate the amount of radiation, number of mesothelioma treatments and type of radiation therapy to be given. For instance, a young patient in the first stage of mesothelioma of the abdomen that is localized and has not metastasized would probably make a good candidate for radiation therapy.