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Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
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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 give better control of the radiation beams and may make this form of treatment more useful for some people.
Radiation therapy can be used in different ways to treat mesothelioma:
This is the main type of radiation therapy used for mesothelioma. It uses x-rays from a machine outside the body to kill cancer cells.
With newer techniques, for example, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), doctors can treat mesotheliomas more accurately while reducing the radiation damage to nearby healthy tissues. This might offer a better chance of radiation working, while limiting side effects.
For this type of radiation therapy, a radiation source is put inside the body, in or near the cancer. Brachytherapy is seldom used for mesothelioma unless it's part of a clinical trial.
Side effects of external radiation therapy include fatigue, sunburn-like skin problems, and hair loss where the radiation enters the body. These usually go away once treatment is finished. Chest radiation therapy can damage the lungs over time and lead to trouble breathing and shortness of breath. Abdominal radiation therapy may 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.
To learn more about how radiation is used to treat cancer, see Radiation Therapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Society of Clinical Oncology. Mesothelioma: Treatment Options. 07/2017. Accessed at www.cancer.net/cancer-types/mesothelioma/treatment-options on November 2, 2018.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Version 2.2018 -- February 26, 2018. Accessed at www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/mpm.pdf on November 2, 2018.
Last Revised: November 16, 2018
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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