If a patients health is too fragile for surgery or chemotherapy, radiation is often recommended. Radiation causes the fewest side effects and is usually easier to tolerate than chemo. There are a few different forms of radiation therapy available to meso patients:
External beam radiation - the preferred type to treat mesothelioma, this type of radiation comes from a machine outside the body and is aimed toward affected areas. Usually administered 5-days-a-week for up to 5 weeks, this type of radiation is often used for palliative purposes - to lessen breathing difficulties, pain, bleeding, or difficulty swallowing - but seldom has much of an effect on the mesothelioma tumors. This type of radiation may also be used in addition to surgery.
Brachytherapy - Rarely prescribed for mesothelioma, this kind of radiation places radioactive material directly inside the lung or abdomen.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar