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Mesothelioma Treatment Options: Radiation - With the locations of the body affected by malignant mesothelioma, it is often extremely difficult to deliver high enough doses of radiation to kill the malignant mesothelioma tumor without damaging the surrounding organs. There is an option of lowering the radiation dose, however, it is hard to determine whether low doses of radiation are significant in reducing the survival rate among patients. Unfortunately, using radiation therapy after surgery has not been very successful in terms of increasing the rate of survival, however, since surgery does not always remove the entire tumor, radiation therapy can help kill the remaining cancer cells and relieve certain symptoms of mesothelioma such as chest pain.
Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. External beam radiation therapy uses radiation delivered from outside the body that is focused on the cancer. This type of radiation therapy is often used to treat mesothelioma. These treatments are much like getting a diagnostic x-ray except for a longer time.
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Brachytherapy involves radioactive material being placed directly into the chest or the abdomen at the site of the mesothelioma. Radiation therapy is sometimes used as the main treatment of mesothelioma in some patients, especially those whose general health is too poor to undergo surgery. Adjuvant radiation therapy can be used in addition to surgery to kill small deposits of cancer that cannot be seen and removed during surgery. Used palliatively, radiation can help control metastases (spread) of the tumor along tracks left by invasive procedures such as thoracoscopy, needle biopsy and chest tube drainage, or to control disease symptoms, such as pain or shortness of breath.
Side effects of radiation therapy may include fatigue and mild skin changes that resemble a sunburn. Often these side effects
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are temporary. Radiation may also make the side effects of chemotherapy worse. Chest radiation therapy may cause lung damage and lead to difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. Abdominal radiation therapy may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If you are having any of these side effects of radiation therapy, talk with your doctor since there are ways to help control these symptoms.
Radiation is rarely used alone to combat mesothelioma but rather is often used in conjunction with other treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy. It sometimes can prove effective shrinking tumor size and reducing symptoms common to mesothelioma patients such as shortness of breath, coughing, or chest pain.
Though radiation is usually administered externally, it sometimes can be administered internally. New techniques have been developed in which a radioactive pill may be surgically implanted in or near the tumor mass. The pill deteriorates over time, but in the process destroys the cancer cells around it. Internal radiotherapy may also be given in a liquid form that is taken orally or injected intravenously into the blood stream.
Depending on the size of the tumor and its proximity to vital organs radiation may not be appropriate in all situations.
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