Mesothelioma Treatment: Higher Doses of Radiation Found to be Beneficial

According to Australian researchers at the Austin Health Centre in Victoria, new radiation techniques may improve the life expectancy of mesothelioma patients.

Throughout the past seven years, Dr. Malcolm Feigen, a radiation oncologist, has been developing new mesothelioma treatment methods involving higher-than-normal doses of radiotherapy. A total of 13 patients were included in the pilot program used to test the treatment.

Dr. Feigen credits the facility’s ability to increase the dose of radiation to new technologies and better equipment. The result of the pilot program was evaluated by using PET scans before patients underwent radiotherapy and after the treatment was finished.

Dr. Feigen said, “We’ve been very impressed that in most cases there’s a considerable improvement in the activity of the tumor masses that we’ve given high doses of radiotherapy. And most patients have got through the course of treatment with no major side effects and some have had long-term benefits.”

Most of the patients in the pilot program have undergone surgery before receiving radiotherapy. On average, the treatment has given patients an additional two years to live.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that often leaves patients with a very poor prognosis after they’ve been diagnosed. Throughout the past five years, statistics show the average length of survival is 10 to 11 months after diagnosis.

For most patients, chemotherapy treatment methods only provide short-term benefits before the pain or cancer redevelops. Dr. Feigen says when radiotherapy is used, the cancer does not come back in the same place. If it is detected in another area, early notification can provide doctors the opportunity to stop the cancer from further development.

“Some patients go on to have a number of good years before sometimes the tumor comes back in areas that we haven’t been able to give radiotherapy to,” Dr. Feigen said. “Some have had chemotherapy before they see us or afterwards and that does provide an additional benefit, but not always, and we think that most of the symptoms are relieved more effectively by high doses of radiotherapy than these other alternatives.”

At a national oncology conference taking place next week, Dr. Feigen will present the facility’s findings, which will hopefully encourage other researchers to get involved. Professor Ian Olver, the CEO of the Cancer Council of Australia, believes the Austin Health Centre’s findings are promising and encourages additional studies.

Additional information about mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 11:59 am and is filed under Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Research, Mesothelioma Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.