Patient’s who Undergo Post-Operative Radiation Lack Clinical Benefits via UK Study’s

In relation to malignant mesothelioma treatments, radiation therapy is commonly scrutinized due to beliefs regarding its effectiveness. The treatment’s primary purpose is to not only shrink the tumor’s size but also to disrupt the cell’s DNA in order to decrease its ability to divide. Radiation therapy performed prior to surgical resection of malignant tumors has been deemed beneficial through recent studies, however, a new study has depicted little to no impact on a patient’s long-term survival or prognosis following a chest wall procedure. Some mesothelioma patients may be interested in alternative treatments like homeopathy for mesothelioma if they do not wish to follow the conventional routes of treatment like radiation therapy. However, we will delve further into this study throughout this article.

Almost 400 patients share such results

Within the United Kingdom, an upward of 400 patients were included in this malignant mesothelioma study during their time of treatment throughout more than 50 hospitals. Although each of the selected patients for the study had undergone a chest wall procedure, only a few had been randomly selected to receive prophylactic radiotherapy within a month-and-a-half of the surgery. Such provided treatment was delivered through a single electron field that provided coverage from the skin surface through the pleura for three consecutive days at a dose of 21 Gy daily. 

Minimal benefits and significant side effects depicted by Post-Surgical Radiation

In comparison to the results for patients with malignant mesothelioma who were treated with radiation from those who had not, researchers found little statistical differences. Following six months of radiation, 6 out of 186 radiation recipients showed signs of metastasizing their disease – in those who had not received radiation, the same was true of 10 out of 186. 

The difference in outcomes over a 24-month period were similarly slim, providing a strong indication that the protocol did not provide any significant clinical benefit. Additionally, patients were exposed to further risks of skin toxicity and dermatitis that stem from radiation.

Oncologists that treat patients with malignant mesothelioma have moved away from the use of post-surgical radiation therapy based on the findings of both UK researchers as well as similar findings here in the United States.

Radiation Therapy For Mesothelioma

Radiation therapy is a very common form of cancer treatment regardless of disease form. With this being said, it brings critical relevance as to why studies like this are so important in the on-going effort to eradicate mesothelioma. A full write up radiation therapy for mesothelioma can be found on our radiation therapy treatment page here on our website. Regardless of how effective radiation therapy may seem, there are still a large number of patients who undergo this form of treatment for various other forms of illnesses like Breast cancer.

The Asbestos Cancer Organization

Here at The Asbestos Cancer Organization, we are dedicated to providing mesothelioma patients with only the latest and greatest when it comes to information regarding mesothelioma. We are sponsored by the nation’s leader in asbestos litigation, the law firm of Goldberg, Persky & White P.C. who has fought on behalf of victims of asbestos exposure for over forty years. The goal of any organization like ours is to ensure that patients who read our website or blog posts have the latest information. We do not provide medical advice or suggestions. Clinical studies like the one discussed in this blog post can be found in our blog feed and will be updated as time goes on to the best of our abilities.

Contact the Asbestos Cancer Organization for more information regarding the latest findings of this rare asbestos-related disease at AsbestosCancer.org today at 1-800-799-2234.

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