External Beam Radiation Therapy

The therapy which I am going to discuss in this post is the most common one, which is external beam radiation therapy. The reason for the frequent use of this therapy as it uses a machine outside the patient’s body to perform the treatment. LINAC (Linear Accelerator) is the most common machine used in this therapy. 

How does it work?

Photon beams of radiation light are guided on the place of the tumor and destroying the cancerous cells and through this stops them to spread and develop. These photon beams are constitutes of x-rays that is of a bit low energy level or either it can be of gamma rays that is highest energy level.

The radiation oncologist, who uses this treatment for cancer and mesothelioma, is a well- trained physician. It can take up to several weeks to complete the course of treatment. Patient receives this treatment at the hospital or clinic, but does not need to stay overnight.

How does it work for Mesothelioma?

External beam radiation therapy is used in treating the most common types of mesothelioma that are pleural mesothelioma (which affects the lungs) and peritoneal mesothelioma (which affects the abdominal cavity). But, surgery is the primary treatment for it; it means, a patient will undergo the surgical process and then opt for the secondary treatment that is radiation therapy. The radiation treatment is done to eradicate and damage the remaining cancerous cells, which were left behind after the surgical process.  

When pleurectomy/decortications surgery (P/D) is done on pleural mesothelioma patient, administrating radiation is really hard as there is much risk of damaging of lungs not only this there may be chances of inflammation of lungs (pneumonitis).

If a patient undergoes extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery (EPP) there is a great chance of lengthens survival rates. In this surgical process, the affected lung is removed and the radiation can be easily delivered to the cavity without damaging the healthy lung. But, there is still possibility of inflammation of lungs.