Mesothelioma Radiation

Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, treats cancer by using penetrating beams of high energy or streams of particles called radiation. Radiation may be used to treat mesothelioma either aggressively in combination with surgery or palliatively to control symptoms.

In an aggressive combined modality approach, radiation attacks microscopic or residual disease remaining in the chest cavity after extrapleural pnuemonectomy. An example of this is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which uses x-rays of different intensities in combination with images generated by a computer to deliver radiation to cancer cells while limiting the amount of radiation to surrounding normal, healthy tissue.

Radiation, when used palliatively, can help control the tumor from spreading along tracks left by invasive procedures such as chest tube drainage, thoracoscopy or needle biopsy, or to control disease symptoms, including shortness of breath or pain.

One of the newest developments, which is quite promising, in radiation oncology is tomotherapy. TomoTherapy, also known as Helical TomoTherapy, is a form of CT Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). The main advantage of delivering radiation in a CT like way from 360 degrees is the capability to deliver radiation to the tumor without damaging the healthy tissue surrounding it.