Radiation
Radiation therapy is the least invasive of all treatments recommended for the treatment of mesothelioma. Used to treat cancer for decades, radiation techniques have improved over the years and new kinds of treatments using radiation have been devised over the years in order to better address the disease.
What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy uses ionizing radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells by damaging their genetic material so that they cannot grow and divide. Radiation can also damage normal cells but, in most cases, these cells can recover in time. However, this form of treatment is less likely than chemotherapy to adversely affect other parts of the body.
Radiation can be used as a stand-alone treatment or may be recommended along with surgery and/or chemotherapy. In the case of mesothelioma patients, radiation is also used for palliative purposes in order to make victims of the disease more comfortable by reducing the symptoms of the disease.
How Is It Administered?
Though there are three types of radiation available to cancer patients, only two of them are generally used to treat mesothelioma of various kinds. They are:
- External beam radiation – The original form of radiation invented several decades ago, this is the procedure most often used in cancer treatment. Simple to administer, the patient lies down, exposing the affected area, and an external source of radiation is aimed at that spot on the body. While the aim of the beam is pretty accurate, healthy cells around the area can be destroyed and the procedure may cause some pain or irritation of the skin. This form of radiation isn’t terribly successful in the fight against mesothelioma so it is usually recommended as a secondary treatment along with chemo or surgery or as a palliative measure.
- Brachytherapy – Often recommended for mesothelioma, brachytherapy involves the implantation of small radioactive rods or seeds directly at the point of the tumor. This provides a high concentration of radiation in the area where it is most needed and prevents the damage to healthy cells. These seeds or rods can remain for a short time and then be removed or they may be left in place, where they eventually stop emitting radiation.
Dealing with Radiation
As was previously noted, radiation is the least invasive of all cancer treatments recommended for mesothelioma patients. Side effects are usually limited to the area that is being treated though the patient may have some other complaints after radiation is administered. Potential side effects of radiation include:
- Skin damage – When radiation was first invented, skin damage was a major problem, but changes in the procedure used for delivering external beam radiation has lessened complaints about skin irritation. Nevertheless, patients may experience dryness, redness, darkening, and peeling in the area and it is suggested that those undergoing radiation should avoid direct sunlight for any length of time.
- Fatigue – A common complaint from radiation patients, fatigue can last only throughout the treatments or may continue for several months after the treatment is complete. Patients should always inform their doctor of overwhelming fatigue because another concern, like anemia, could be causing the problem. The meso patient undergoing radiation should also make sufficient time in their schedule for rest.
- Problems with the Mouth – Many radiation patients report extreme dry mouth, inflammation inside the oral cavity, or a loss of taste. These could all cause eating problems, which might cause dangerous weight loss, so these concerns should always be brought to the doctor’s attention.
Other less serious side effects may include:
- Swelling
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Sexual changes
- Hair loss in the treatment area
As with any drug or treatment, side effects should be reported to the patient’s medical team, even if they appear minimal.