Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or particles to kill cancer cells.

Mesotheliomas tend to be hard to treat with radiation therapy. They don’t usually grow as single, distinct tumors, so it can be hard to aim radiation at them while avoiding nearby normal tissues. Still, newer techniques that allow for better control of the radiation beams might make this form of treatment useful for some people.

When is radiation therapy used to treat mesothelioma?

Radiation therapy can be used in different ways to treat mesothelioma:

• It can be given as part of the main treatment for people who aren’t getting surgery.
• It can be used after surgery to try to kill any small areas of cancer that couldn’t be removed during surgery. This is called adjuvant radiation therapy.
• It can be used as a palliative procedure to ease symptoms of mesothelioma such as shortness of breath, pain, bleeding, or trouble swallowing.

How is radiation therapy given?

The main type of radiation therapy used for mesothelioma uses x-rays from a machine that targets radiation to kill the cancer. It is much like getting an x-ray, although the radiation dose is stronger.

The treatment itself is painless and typically lasts only a few minutes, although the setup time – getting you into place for treatment – takes longer.

How often and how long you get radiation therapy depends on the reason it’s being given and other factors. It can last anywhere from a few days to weeks.

Modern radiation techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and proton beam therapy, can often target tumors more precisely than older techniques, so they might be used to treat mesothelioma, especially at larger medical centers.

To learn more about these newer types of radiation therapy, see Getting External Beam Radiation Therapy.

Possible side effects of radiation therapy

Side effects of radiation therapy can include fatigue and sunburn-like skin problems and hair loss where the radiation enters the body. These usually go away over time once treatment is finished.

Radiation can also have other side effects, depending on where’s it’s aimed:

• Chest radiation therapy can damage the lungs over time and lead to trouble breathing and shortness of breath.
• Abdominal radiation therapy might cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.

If radiation therapy is used together with chemotherapy, the side effects tend to be worse.

If you're having any side effects from radiation, talk with your treatment team. There are often ways to help control these symptoms.