There has been an ongoing discussion surrounding the use of radiation therapy for mesothelioma. The treatment is mostly viewed as a secondary option to surgery, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Others don’t feel it is a valuable treatment option due to impacting the patient’s quality of life.
A study at the University of Glasgow in Europe showed how increasing the dose of radiation therapy could make this option more effective for treating mesothelioma cancer.
The phase 2 study, titled SYSTEM-2, tested standard radiation therapy doses versus higher doses for patients with pleural mesothelioma. The intent was to see whether there was a difference in pain management, as radiation is an option for pain relief and palliative care.
The higher dose of radiation therapy did not significantly improve pain control, but it did significantly help with life expectancy.
Debate Surrounding Radiation for Mesothelioma
If radiation is part of a cancer center’s mesothelioma treatment protocol, then it is before or after other treatment options. Surgery, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy all have a greater survival benefit.
Other doctors feel the benefit for patients is not high enough to warrant its use due to potential damage to lung tissue. Radiation beams can damage healthy tissue and impact the patient’s long-term quality of life, all while not killing that many cancer cells.
How a Higher Dose of Radiation Boosted Survival for Pleural Mesothelioma
Scientists at the University of Glasgow are still analyzing the results from their phase 2 trial, and the review period is still in early phases. Therefore, specific data is not available from the study. These preliminary results were announced at the British Thoracic Oncology Group’s annual conference.
However, the results indicate a significant survival benefit linked solely to increasing the dose of the therapy.
The idea makes sense: Increasing the dose of radiation therapy has more potential to kill mesothelioma tumors. As radiation therapy evolves and limits damage to healthy tissue – through emerging methods such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy or proton radiation beams – higher doses are a possibility.
“SYSTEMS-2 is the first clinical trial to test whether increasing the dose of radiotherapy can improve outcomes for patients with mesothelioma, which is an extremely difficult cancer to treat,” said Anthony Chalmers, the Chair of Clinical Oncology at the University of Glasgow and Chief Investigator for this study. “We are very excited to see some early evidence that patients receiving the higher radiotherapy dose might benefit in terms of an increase in their life expectancy.”
Sources & Author
- Promising Results of Clinical Trial of Radiotherapy for Patients With Mesothelioma Announced. University of Glasgow. Retrieved from: https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_949541_en.html. Accessed: 06/06/2023.
Sources & Author
