Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment - Types of Radiation Therapies Available

Radiation therapies available include:
• External Radiation Therapy • Internal Radiation Therapy • Systemic Radiation Therapy
External radiation therapy involves the use of high beams, generated from a machine outside the human body, and directed towards the tumor in order to shrink or kill such tumor.
External radiation therapy is used to treat various types of cancers and is usually administered on an outpatient basis. It is also widely used as a palliative treatment. It is particularly used for those cancers that are difficult to remove or have a high chance to return back such as mesothelioma. External radiation therapy may be administered prior to surgery in order to shrink the tumor. This is called neoadjuvant therapy. It can be administered during surgery where a high-dose of radiation is beamed directly at the tumor site after the tumor has been partly of totally removed. External radiation therapy can also be administered after surgery in order to diminish the chances of the tumor coming back. This is called adjuvant therapy. Patients being treated by external radiation therapy are not radioactive and visitors and nurses can safely stay nearby without any harmful consequence. External radiation therapy for mesothelioma may last from three to five weeks, where radiation is usually given for about five days a week.
Internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy is less common than external radiation therapy. Internal radiation therapy involves the placing of materials that emit radiation directly in the human body. Brachytherapy can be either temporal or permanent. In the temporal type the radioactive material is place in the human body for a certain amount of time and is afterwards removed. In the permanent type the radioactive material is placed in the human body and it is left their permanently; it is never removed again. As time passes the radiation from the material will diminish until it will no longer emit any type of radiation.
The radioactive material is inserted in the human body by means of a needle, applicator or catcher. The exact location may be determined by the use of ultrasounds, x-rays or CT-scans. The procedure may be performed under a general anesthetic and it may require a stay in hospital after the procedure is performed. Precautions must be taken in order to protect the staff and visitors from radioactivity. The surrounding area where the radioactive material has been implanted will be radioactive but the whole body of the patient is not radioactive. Brachytherapy has the advantage to treat a small area using a high dosage of radioactive material within a small span of time.
In a systemic radiation therapy the radiation source is administered by means of a liquid (as a drink), a capsule (capsules that are swallowed) or intravenously (injected into the vein). Therefore as opposed to external and internal radiation therapy, in a systemic radiation therapy the radiation source travels throughout the body of the patient. After the radioactive material has been administered you will have to stay in hospital in a special room for several days until the high-levels of radiation diminish. Radioactive material may leave the body through body fluids such as saliva, sweat and urine and so these fluids may be radioactive. Therefore certain precautions and procedures are usually taken for individuals (such as nurses, physicians and visitors) that can come in contact with the patient. This type of treatment can sometimes be given on an outpatient basis.