Radiation Therapy Still Has a Place in Multimodal Mesothelioma Treatment

Radiation therapy is one of several treatment options for mesothelioma, which is a rare type of cancer of the thin linings near the lungs and abdominal cavity.

Mesothelioma is aggressive and associated with poor survival rates. Doctors often try to combine several different therapies together to attack tumors and keep them from spreading.

While radiation therapy is not as popular of a treatment option as surgery, chemotherapy or even immunotherapy now, it still has a place in a treatment plan to help people with mesothelioma fight tumors and potentially add valuable years to their life.

New data confirms just that.

 

More About Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma

Radiation therapy for mesothelioma sends high-energy beams at the patient’s cancer. The intent is to use the beams to damage cancer cells in the patient’s body while not harming healthy tissue.

A radiation machine delivers the beams in a precise manner – usually with an X-ray or proton beam. The radiation beams disrupt the genes of mesothelioma cells, which can stop the cells from multiplying and slow the growth of tumors. Damaging the genes can also cause the cancer cells to die quicker.

The two types of mesothelioma radiation used today are intensity-modulated radiation therapy and proton radiation therapy. As cancer treatment and technology evolves, radiation beams become more targeted and “tighter” to hit only the targeted cancer cells while avoiding “radiation spray” that can damage healthy tissue or organs.

For decades, radiation has been a treatment option for mesothelioma, particularly the type of mesothelioma that forms near the lungs. This type, called pleural mesothelioma, starts in the thin lining of the lungs called the pleura. Radiation can target tumors in this lining and – if the cancer has spread – on the lungs.

Radiation is not a treatment option for the other main type of mesothelioma: peritoneal mesothelioma. This type forms in the lining of the abdominal cavity. Radiation therapy is too risky for this type due to the number of organs in the abdominal cavity – and the potential for the beams to damage organs the body needs to live.

 

Using Radiation Therapy With Surgery and Chemotherapy

Radiation therapy is not thought of as often as other treatment options such as surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Radiation as a standalone treatment usually cannot control tumor growth for long, if at all, and radiation can cause damage to the lungs. Other possible side effects include nausea, fatigue, skin irritation, and coughing.

However, radiation therapy remains a valuable treatment tool when combined with other options, as proven in a new study at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.

The study featured 59 patients who received radiation therapy and the mesothelioma surgery known as extrapleural pneumonectomy. This surgery removes a lung in an effort to extract most tumors.

Of the 59 in the study, 47 patients received radiation therapy after extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery. The other 12 received radiation therapy before extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery. Some of the patients also received chemotherapy.

The median overall survival was 23.2 months, or just shy of 2 years. The 3-year survival rate was 33%, and the 5-year survival rate was an impressive 28% – meaning more than one-fourth of patients lived for at least 5 years after treatment ended.

Survival was much better when radiation was used after surgery and chemotherapy:

• 17.5 months median survival using radiation before
• 24 months median survival using radiation after

 

Finding Treatment for Mesothelioma

If you or a loved one are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the experts at Mesothelioma Guide can help you find state-of-the-art treatment from the best cancer doctors in the world. There are doctors who are considered mesothelioma specialists, meaning they have intimate experience diagnosing and treating this disease.

Some of these doctors may recommend radiation therapy to fight your specific case of mesothelioma. Others may recommend surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or – more likely – a combination of these therapies.

Contact one of the patient advocates at Mesothelioma Guide for help connecting with a mesothelioma specialist at a top cancer hospital. Email registered nurse Karen Ritter at karen@mesotheliomaguide.com for answers about how to treat your or a loved one’s mesothelioma.