Radiotherapy for mesothelioma
Radiotherapy uses high energy waves to kill cancer cells. It aims to stop or delay the cancer from coming back. You might have radiotherapy to reduce the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. The treatment may also slow down the growth of your tumour. You might have radiotherapy after surgery for pleural mesothelioma. This is called adjuvant radiotherapy.
Planning radiotherapy for pleural mesothelioma
The radiotherapy team plan your external beam radiotherapy before you start treatment. This means working out the dose of radiotherapy you need and exactly where you need it.
Radiotherapy treatment for pleural mesothelioma
You might have radiotherapy to reduce the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma or slow down the growth of your tumour. It is not usually used for peritoneal mesothelioma because it causes too many side effects.
Side effects of radiotherapy for pleural mesothelioma
You may have side effects if you have a few weeks of radiotherapy treatment after surgery for early pleural mesothelioma. The most common side effects are reddening of the skin and loss of hair in the treatment area.
