Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to damage or kill cells by preventing them from growing and dividing. It is delivered to the site of the tumor by machines called linear accelerators, which produce high-energy external radiation beams that penetrate the tissues deep into the areas where the cancer is located. This technique is called external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Radiation therapy also can palliate the symptoms of mesothelioma by reducing pain, improving breathing, or relieving other side effects caused by the cancer.

Factors that can limit the application of this treatment include the volume of the tumor and how near it is to vital organs. Radiotherapy following surgical resection (adjuvant therapy) has been shown to reduce local cancer recurrence and improve the survival of patients with early-stage disease and is an essential part of the management of patients undergoing extrapleural pneumonectomy.

EBRT is delivered precisely by using computed tomography (CT) scan as well as PET scans to localize the areas at risk for tumor recurrence. Careful radiation planning allows for a higher dose of radiation to be directed at the tumor tissue and at the same time, decreasing the volume of normal tissue exposed to this high dose. Our faculty in radiation oncology has over 15 years of experience in treating mesothelioma patients with radiotherapy.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a novel breakthrough in radiation oncology. It allows treatment of areas that were previously out of the reach of conventional radiation. IMRT for mesothelioma is available @ BWH one of the few sites in the country where this technique has been perfected. It requires a treatment team composed of radiation oncologist, physicists and radiation therapists to deliver. The state of the art machinery available here @ BWH represents the top-of the line in radiation delivery equipment. Preliminary data indicates significant improvements in local recurrences for mesothelioma patients undergoing this treatment.

New clinical trials investigating the optimum method for combining chemotherapy and radiation are underway at BWH/DFCI.