Mesothelioma Radiation: What are Patient’s Options?

Mesothelioma radiation treatments are often used in combination with other types of cancer treatments to be completely effective. Radiation is effective, in combination with other methods, at reducing the total count of cancer cells in the body and reducing the size of a mesothelioma tumor. There are plenty of side-effect and complications to consider with this mode of treatment, as well as the health of the patient and the location of the cancer. Mesothelioma radiation treatments are ideally reserved for upper-chest locations because general radiation can significantly damage soft organs and tissues in the abdomen where peritoneal mesothelioma develops.

A new mode of administering mesothelioma radiation treatment holds promise for even those affected by abdominal mesothelioma, however. Brachytherapy is moderately invasive, but more focused than general radiation therapies. This new technology may make it possible for mesothelioma radiation treatments to be not only more effective regardless of use in combination with other treatments, but may be far less invasive on nearby healthy cells in the body.

Mesothelioma Radiation Treatments with External Radiation Therapy

Traditional mesothelioma radiation involves a generalized therapy in which radiation is directed at the body from an outside source. This is the most common (and oldest) mode of introducing radiation into the body. Radioactive waves penetrate through all layers of the body and expose cancer cells to the deadly substance. Since cancer cells are slower to metabolize elements, the radiation is retained for a much longer period than it is retained by healthy cells. This can help to kill some cancer cells and reduces the total quantity of cancer in the body. As a stand-alone treatment, radiation is usually not worth the damage to healthy cells but can be powerful in combination with chemotherapy drugs. Traditional radiation is known as “external radiation therapy”.

The side effects of external mesothelioma radiation depend on the region of the body to which the radioactive waves are directed. For example, if the patient is receiving an external radiation treatment for pleural mesothelioma which occurs in the lungs, side effects will occur in the chest region:

• Difficulty Swallowing
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Fluid Build-up
• Tenderness
• Pain

Mesothelioma Radiation Treatments with Internal Radiation Therapy

Internal mesothelioma radiation therapy is a newer concept that involves introducing radioactive waves directly into a cancerous tumor. This type of treatment, best known as brachytherapy, is aimed at a much smaller area and doesn’t have as much impact on nearby structures. It may also be used in combination with general radiation and other common mesothelioma treatments.

There are two modes of internal mesothelioma radiation treatments; intercavity and interstitial.

Intercavity mesothelioma radiation is a treatment most employed for tumors near a natural opening, such as the vagina or esophagus. Peritoneal mesothelioma near the reproductive organs or near the rectum may be candidates for this mode of introduction. Intercavity brachytherapy is the most commonly used form of internal mesothelioma radiation and the lease invasive mode, as well.

To introduce intercavity radiation, a specialist inserts a small device that contains radioactive materials into the body opening. The material remains in the body cavity for a designated period of time. At the end of the period, the material is removed and the patient is allowed to leave. Although this is an outpatient procedure, the patient may emit radioactivity for several hours following the treatment and is advised to stay away from children and pregnant women.

Interstitial mesothelioma radiation is less common, but may be necessary for treatment of cancer that is inside the body cavity and away from a body opening, such as the lungs or abdominal wall. A device intended to hold radioactive material must be surgically implanted into the body before the mesothelioma radiation treatment can commence. This is usually a catheter (a small tube), balloon, or small wire inserted very near to the cancerous area or into it. Since there is a surgical procedure involved, it is more invasive than intercavity radiation.

Once the device is in place, specialists use a small needle to insert very tiny grains of radioactive material into the catheter, balloon, or wire. In some cases, the grains of radioactive material may be inserted into the tissue itself through a thin needle. This type of mesothelioma radiation treatment is an in-patient procedure because it is invasive and because the materials remain within the body. Over time, the treatment may be repeated and the patient stays radiated for a longer length of time so exposure to others is prohibited. Once the treatments are complete, there is a period of time in which the patient still must avoid those people who are most susceptible to damage from radiation – children and small babies, including those still in the womb.

Mesothelioma Radiation Side Effects

Regardless of the method in which radioactivity is introduced into the body; there will be similar complications and side-effects relating to the location that received the treatment. Intensity may depend on the length of exposure and proximity, but the general effects remain the same.

Radiation enteritis is a condition which can form in the abdomen around the bowel. Healthy cells that line the bowel may begin to quickly divide, much like cancer cells though they are not cancerous. Also like cancer cells, this probably occurs because radiation can confuse the programming within the cell. If enteritis develops following abdominal exposure to mesothelioma radiation, it can cause severe cramping, frequent bowel movements and sensations, rectal pain, bleeding, and discharge as well as diarrhea. Thought enteritis typically goes away following a period of time, it is a very unpleasant complication that can occur following a mesothelioma radiation treatment.