What Is External Beam Radiation Therapy?
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is a form of radiation therapy that uses X-rays to shrink mesothelioma tumors. It’s the most commonly used type of radiation for mesothelioma, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Doctors use EBRT to deliver a precise radiation dose to the mesothelioma tumor through a machine. The radiation treats the cancer while limiting the harm done to healthy tissues in the body.
Key Facts on External Beam Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma
- Up to 99% of mesothelioma patients treated with radiation receive EBRT
- Typically used to treat pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the lung lining
- There are multiple types, including proton therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Potential side effects include nausea and vomiting, headache, hair loss, and more
Your health care team may recommend EBRT as part of a larger mesothelioma treatment plan, depending on the specifics of your diagnosis, like your general health, cancer stage, and more.
Use our Free Doctor Match to find specialists who can recommend EBRT and other treatments if you’re facing mesothelioma.
How Does External Beam Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma Work?
EBRT for mesothelioma uses a machine to aim radiation beams at cancer tumors to shrink them. The process is generally painless, but does involve multiple visits to your mesothelioma cancer center.
Learn about what you can expect when receiving external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma below.
1. Attend Simulation Session and Get Imaging Scans
If your radiation oncologist (cancer doctor) believes EBRT will help you, they’ll recommend that you attend a simulation session. This will help you prepare for actually receiving the radiation.
Doctors will use imaging tests such as CT, PET, or MRI scans to identify exactly where the radiation should be aimed. The simulation and imaging session can take up to 2 hours.
2. Receive External Beam Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma
During your radiation appointment, you’ll lie on a treatment table while a machine called a linear accelerator delivers radiation from multiple angles. The radiation session is painless and usually lasts 15 to 30 minutes.
You’ll likely need to get multiple sessions of external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma. Most courses of EBRT take place 5 days a week for several weeks.
3. Undergo Follow-Up Monitoring and Tests
Your doctors will want to know how your mesothelioma tumors have responded to EBRT, so they’ll take follow-up scans. If the cancer starts to grow back (recur), they may suggest more EBRT or different mesothelioma treatments.
You may also experience side effects as a result of EBRT for mesothelioma, such as nausea, headaches, and appetite loss. Your doctor can help you manage these side effects through medication or other palliative care options.
When Is External Beam Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma Used?
Doctors typically use EBRT as part of a multimodal treatment plan. This means it’s provided in tandem with other major treatment options like chemotherapy and surgery to give you the best chance of living longer.
“A multidisciplinary approach — combining surgery, radiation, systemic therapy, and supportive care — remains the most effective strategy.”
— Dr. Estelamari Rodriguez, mesothelioma specialist at University of Miami Health System
Your doctor may use EBRT as a neoadjuvant treatment, meaning it’s given before surgery to help shrink mesothelioma tumors so they can be more easily removed. EBRT may also be provided during surgery to kill microscopic cancer cells.
In some cases, a lower dose of EBRT may be recommended as a type of palliative care. When used in this way, doctors want to shrink tumors so you experience fewer symptoms to improve your overall quality of life.
Call (866) 608-8933 to get help from our mesothelioma nurses accessing radiation treatments and other therapies.
Types of EBRT for Mesothelioma
External beam radiation therapy is the umbrella term for treatments that direct beams of radiation from outside the body. There are a few specific types of EBRT that could be used to help you live longer with mesothelioma.
Types of external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma include:
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) uses computer-controlled imaging to safely deliver higher doses of radiation, which is especially valuable when tumors are close to the heart, spine, or esophagus.
- Proton therapy uses a type of energy beam called protons, rather than X-rays, to kill tumors while causing less harm to healthy tissues.
- Three‑dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D‑CRT) allows doctors to precisely deliver radiation using detailed imaging scans. However, IMRT is often considered superior to 3D-CRT, according to the National Cancer Institute.
There are also additional types like stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Your doctor can determine which type of external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma will work best in your case.
External Beam Radiation Therapy Side Effects
Like all types of radiation therapy, EBRT comes with a risk of treatment-related side effects. Which side effects you may experience and how severe they will be depend on your dosage, how your body tolerates radiation, and more.
Common side effects of EBRT include:
- Appetite loss
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hair loss
- Headaches
- Inflammation at the treatment site
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Skin irritation
- Vomiting
Most side effects of external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma improve within a few weeks. Your care team can recommend topical creams, dietary adjustments, or medications to manage side effects and help you feel better.
In some cases, you could develop rarer and more serious side effects, such as pneumonitis (lung inflammation) and nerve damage, which are also known as toxicities. If the side effects become too severe, your doctors may recommend stopping EBRT.
How Effective Is External Beam Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma?
EBRT is often an effective way to improve your mesothelioma prognosis (health outlook), particularly when used as part of a broader treatment plan. Your doctor can use different types of EBRT to shrink your cancer tumors and boost your quality of life.
For example, a mesothelioma patient treated with lung-removal surgery called extrapleural pneumonectomy, chemotherapy, and external radiation achieved remission for 2 and a half years according to a Cleveland Clinic report.
Doctors will work to personalize external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma and other treatments to help you as best they can.
“You have to tailor your treatment — the surgical procedure, the chemotherapy, the radiation — to the particular patient in front of you. We’re in the days of personalized medicine.”
At this time, EBRT and other forms of mesothelioma radiation are mainly used to treat pleural mesothelioma (which forms in the lung lining), particularly when it’s in an early stage. If you have another type, like peritoneal mesothelioma (which forms in the abdominal lining), or late-stage cancer, EBRT may not be beneficial. A doctor can give you a better idea of what will work best for you.
Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide to see how radiation and other treatments could help you or someone you love.
Get Help Receiving Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy
After a cancer diagnosis, it’s important to explore all your treatment options, including external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma. Depending on your situation, EBRT could help shrink tumors, improve your survival time, and allow you to have a better quality of life.
Mesothelioma Hope can help you or someone you love get EBRT and other treatments following a cancer diagnosis.
Work with us to:
- Find radiation oncologists and other cancer doctors near you
- Get financial assistance to cover any medical expenses
- Receive the support you deserve while navigating life with cancer
Use our Free Doctor Match to connect with local cancer specialists or call (866) 608-8933 now to speak with our mesothelioma nurses.
External Beam Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma FAQs
What is the radiation treatment for mesothelioma?
External beam radiation therapy, which uses high-energy beams to shrink cancer tumors, is the most common type of radiotherapy for mesothelioma. As many as 99% of mesothelioma patients treated with radiation will receive some form of EBRT.
Doctors use different types of external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma depending on the needs of each patient. Many patients receive intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to get a precise dose of radiation to their tumor.
What’s the difference between brachytherapy vs. external beam radiation?
External beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma allows doctors to deliver radiotherapy through the skin using a machine. It’s the main way that radiation is provided to mesothelioma patients.
Brachytherapy involves placing a radioactive material or device inside your mesothelioma tumor. It’s not often used for mesothelioma and is typically only available through clinical trials, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Call (866) 608-8933 to learn more about the different types of mesothelioma radiation and to see which ones could potentially help you.
What are the disadvantages of external beam radiation therapy?
A big disadvantage of external beam radiation therapy for mesothelioma is that it can cause side effects like nausea, fatigue, hair loss, and more.
You may develop EBRT side effects since the treatment may harm healthy cells, too. If the side effects become too great for you to bear, your doctor may suggest stopping the treatment.
Another disadvantage is that EBRT may not be available in your case. Typically, EBRT is recommended for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma who are in an early stage. It’s typically not used for patients with advanced cancer or other types of mesothelioma.
However, even if you can’t get EBRT, mesothelioma specialists can recommend other options like surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy to help you as best they can. EBRT may or may not be seen as necessary depending on your diagnosis.
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