RADIATION THERAPY FOR MESOTHELIOMA
When we talk about radiation therapy, we are referring to the use of high-dose radiation with the objective of reducing or destroying malignant tumors.
There are a number of sources of radiation that may be used: high-energy x-rays; neutrons; photons; and cobalt being the most common. Not only are there choices of radiation source, there are also choices of delivery and radiation can be delivered internally or externally.
Internal radiation delivers the therapy via sealed plastic tubes, needles, wires, or catheters that are placed in or very close to the targeted tumor. External radiation is delivered as a beam of radiation emitted by a machine.
As we said yesterday, radiation is likely to be delivered as just one facet of a multi-modal treatment regime. It is very good at relieving pain and shortness of breath but, just as with surgery, does not come without side effects. These are caused mainly because the radiation kills or damages healthy tissue as well as the targeted tumor. Side effects can include: fatigue, difficulty swallowing, skin irritation, stiffness and aching, hair loss, and digestive problems.
Because radiation therapy is so powerful, your treatment will be carefully planned, even going so far as to set up dummy treatments to confirm that the planned radiation will hit the exact location on your body that is required. The dummy process usually takes about an hour. You may also undergo a CT scan as part of the planning process.
When everything is set up as required, the targets are marked on your body as pin-prick sized tattoos and you might find this a little uncomfortable. These tattoos act as a permanent marker of irradiated sites on your body.
This dummy procedure takes far longer than the treatment itself, which generally lasts only five to ten minutes, although this will, of course, depend upon the complexity of your treatment.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at chemotherapy.