Internal radiation therapy, also known as brachytherapy, has been used in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. While often this type of radiation treatment is reserved for patients of cervical and esophageal cancers, this method has been extended to mesothelioma to broaden even further a growing list of treatment options for patients of this difficult disease.
What is internal radiation therapy? To understand this we must first understand what external radiation therapy is. External radiation therapy uses focused beams of radiation to disrupt cancer cell growth and multiplication. Tiny radioactive particles enter the cells and manipulate their genetic makeup in such a way that they no longer reproduce uncontrollably. Eventually, these cells die and the tumors reduce in size. However, the limitations on external radiation are such that only certain dosages of radiation can be applied to the affected area without damaging surrounding tissue. This is where internal radiation remedies the problem.
Internal radiation uses tiny surgically implanted radioactive wires or pods to emit radiation as close to the source of the tumor as possible. Often physicians are able to implant these pods without surgical incision. Indeed, a small injection of iodine-131 is able to enter the cell’s molecules around the tumor. This dosage of radiation would not be possible in external radiation methods because it would damage healthy cells through which the beam travels. For patients of malignant mesothelioma, this could potentially be extremely valuable as external radiation therapy’s effects have varied from patient to patient. But with this technique, nearly all patients would gain some benefit and cancer response.
Patients of malignant mesothelioma should ask their physician if internal radiation therapy may benefit them. Each specific patient’s case is different and each patient has a custom treatment plan.