Radiation therapy for Mesothelioma
Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma
Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation used can be high-energy x-rays, neutrons, photons, cobalt or other radiation sources. This treatment is especially used to treat mesothelioma patients whose general health is too poor to undergo surgery. Or, it may be given after surgery, to try to prevent the cancer coming back. To slow the cancer down and keep it under control, radiotherapy can be given combined with chemotherapy.
Treatment Planning Radiotherapy treatment should be planned with great care. The patient lies under a special machine called a simulator which takes normal X-rays. The doctor studies it and decide where to give the treatment to kill the most cancer cells and miss as much healthy body tissue as possible.
Marks are made on the skin of the patient during the planning session. These skin marks are used to line up the radiotherapy machine every day when the patient is treated. So it is important not to wash these marks off.
Treatment The actual treatment takes only a few minutes. The radiographer positions the patient on the couch. The patient is left alone during the treatment, but the radiographer can hear the patient. Patient has to lie very still for a few minutes while being treated. Radiotherapy does not hurt and the patient is not able to feel it.
While having radiotherapy, radiographer or a physiotherapist may ask the patient to do particular exercises. This is to help prevent stiffness and aching in the chest and shoulder, which some people develop after treatment is over.
Radiotherapy does not make the patient radioactive. It is perfectly safe to be with other people, including children, throughout the course.
There are no randomized clinical trials available to prove the efficiency of radiation therapy in malignant mesothelioma and the role of radiation therapy in the curative treatment of the disease remains unclear. However several studies have suggested beneficial effect with use of radiation therapy in malignant mesothelioma. Radiotherapy has been found effective at controlling pain and fluid collection in the lungs or abdomen.
Types of Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy
External Beam Radiation Therapy This is the preferred type of radiation therapy to treat mesothelioma. External beam radiation therapy uses a high-energy x-ray machine called a linear accelerator to direct radiation to the tumor. These treatments are much like getting a diagnostic x-ray except for a longer time. A typical course of treatment takes 3 to 5 weeks of daily treatments. The treatment is usually given once a day from Monday to Friday with a rest over the weekend.
Brachytherapy / Internal Radiation Therapy Radioactive material is placed near or directly into the tumor being targeted. Internal radiation therapy delivers radiation through sealed thin plastic tubes, needles, wires, or catheters. This method is not often used to treat mesothelioma.
Side effects of Radiation Therapy
It's a fact that medical science has made enormous strides in improving the delivery of radiation, and the area of the body being treated with radiation is far more precisely targeted than ever before. Still, radiotherapy has some side effects. Though the radiation beam travels directly to the target area to be treated, it also affects organ tissues in its path. This damage to the healthy cells results in the side effects of radiation therapy.
The commonest general side effects of radiotherapy are
- Reddening of the skin in the treatment area
- Tiredness
- Loss of hair in the treatment area
- Infertility
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth
- Skin irritation
- Stiffness and aching
Radiotherapy Questions
Will radiation therapy make the patient infertile?
Generally, it depends on the area of body which is being treated. Permanent infertility is unavoidable if the testicles or ovaries are included in the treatment area. Radiation therapy for mesothelioma also may cause this side effect as the radiation being scattered to other parts of the body.
Why radiotherapy is given only 5 days a week with a rest over the weekends?
Although radiotherapy is used for killing the cancer cells, it damages healthy tissues around the cancer as well. A rest from the treatment every few days can keep side effects down. This rest allows the healthy tissues to recover a little. In emergency cases, radiotherapy is given at the weekends as well. However, for a normal course of treatment over a few weeks, the patient is treated from Monday to Friday only.
How the side effects of radiotherapy can be reduced?
If the patient is having Nausea or sickness Diarrhoea, then taking some tablets can help. A sore mouth can be helped with pain killers and soothing mouthwashes where as artificial saliva spray is useful for a dry mouth.
The patient can hardly do anything to reduce the tiredness that radiotherapy so often brings on. The patient has to to rest as much as they need. Trying exercise regularly can help the patient build up the energy levels.
A radiotherapist always design the treatment to reduce side effects, by avoiding healthy tissues wherever possible.