Radiation Therapy

Mesothelioma radiation therapy, like mesothelioma chemotherapy, falls into the category of traditional mesothelioma treatment and new mesothelioma treatment. Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is an available treatment option for most types of cancers, including malignant mesothelioma cancer.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams (gamma / x-rays) to target and shrink / destroy malignant mesothelioma cells. Radiation therapy is often used to reduce the size of a tumor prior to surgery. Similarly, it can be used postoperatively to kill any lingering cancer cells. This type of secondary radiation therapy is called combination radiation therapy.

When used to treat malignant mesothelioma, radiation therapy is not often used as a primary treatment; rather, it is typically used in combination with another traditional mesothelioma treatment modality like mesothelioma chemotherapy or surgery.

Another benefit of mesothelioma radiation therapy is its ability to slow the spread of the asbestos cancer to other parts of the body (metastasis). Mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive cancer that can spread throughout the body, developing into a series of secondary cancers. Although mesothelioma radiation therapy cannot prevent this inevitable happening, it can help to slow its progression.

Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy Side Effects

A major upside of undergoing mesothelioma radiation therapy is that radiotherapy treatments are totally pain-free. Surgery is an extremely taxing experience as it involves the physical removal of tissue; chemotherapy is similarly taxing because of the effects that the chemicals have on the body. The only problematic issue related to radiotherapy treatments is the risk of the high-energy beams eliciting radiation therapy side effects.

Radiation therapy side effects can include:

  • Swelling
  • Infertility (temporary)
  • Fatigue
  • Damage to epithelial surfaces / skin rash
  • Tissue fibrosis
  • Hair loss
  • Dryness
  • Cancer

Radiation therapy has proven capable of causing secondary malignancies to develop; ironic considering that the modality being used to treat cancer fails to the extent that it actually causes the development of additional cancer cells. Such secondary cancers, though relatively rare, occur as a result of the poor cell targeting of traditional radiation therapy treatments.

New Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy Treatment

A new type of cancer treatment has been developed with the aim of improving on the basic premise behind radiation therapy. Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a type of high-energy radiotherapy treatment that is designed to better target malignant cells while limiting the amount of healthy tissue affected by radiation. This makes for a more effective treatment and limits the propensity towards development of secondary cancers.

For more information on radiation therapy visit: www.cancerbacup.org.uk/info/radiotherapy.htm or www.oncolink.org