What Is Mesothelioma Three-Dimensional Radiation (3D-CRT)?
3D‑CRT is an advanced type of radiation therapy for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma radiation uses beams of energy to kill tumors and shrink cancer cells.
It’s called ‘three-dimensional’ because radiation oncologists (cancer doctors) use detailed imaging scans to shape the energy beams to match your tumor’s exact size and location.
Key Facts on Three‑Dimensional Radiation Treatment
- Used for malignant pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the lung lining (pleura)
- Often combined with other treatment options like surgery or chemotherapy
- Patients can live for up to 30 months on average
- Side effects include fatigue, nausea, and inflammation
3D-CRT is just one of several types of radiation your doctors may recommend after a mesothelioma diagnosis. Factors like your cancer stage, overall health, and mesothelioma cell type all play a role in determining the right treatment plan.
Use our Free Doctor Match to find specialists near you who can recommend radiation and other treatments for mesothelioma.
How Does 3D-CRT Radiation Work to Treat Mesothelioma?
If your doctor recommends three‑dimensional radiation treatment, you’ll first get imaging scans of your tumor. You’ll then attend an appointment to receive the radiation dose. Finally, your doctors will monitor you to see how your cancer responds to the radiation and address any side effects.
Here’s the step‑by‑step process of how three-dimensional radiation treatment for mesothelioma works.
1. Get Mesothelioma Imaging Scans
Doctors will use mesothelioma imaging tests like CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans to make a 3D picture of the tumor and any surrounding organs, such as the lungs, esophagus, heart, and diaphragm.
This is important because doctors will use the images from the scans to ensure radiation doesn’t damage healthy tissue.
2. Start Mesothelioma Three-Dimensional Radiation Treatment
Typically, you will need to get three-dimensional radiation treatment for mesothelioma every day over several weeks, with each appointment lasting about 15-30 minutes. You’ll lie still while 2-4 radiation beams target your tumor.
The 3D-CRT beams are aimed in different directions around your body so they can hit the tumor from several angles.
“Radiation oncologists deliver a beam of radiation that’s very targeted to areas of mesothelioma — of the actual cancer itself — for the goal of disease control locally.”
3. Undergo Monitoring After 3D-CRT Radiation Therapy
Your doctors will want to see how your mesothelioma is responding to 3D-CRT, so they’ll take imaging scans to check if the tumors have shrunk or stopped growing. If your cancer starts to come back, they can recommend another course of 3D-CRT or a different mesothelioma treatment altogether.
3D-CRT has a lower risk of side effects, as it’s a type of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). This means it’s painlessly delivered from outside of the body. However, you still could experience side effects ranging from fatigue to pneumonitis (lung inflammation). Doctors will monitor you for any side effects and recommend ways to manage them.
When Is Mesothelioma Three-Dimensional Radiation Treatment Used?
You’ll typically receive mesothelioma as part of a multimodal therapy plan. This means you’ll get other therapies in addition to three‑dimensional radiation treatment. Combining multiple treatments can help your doctors to kill more of the cancer and potentially allow you to live longer.
For example, your doctors may recommend 3D-CRT as an adjuvant (follow-up) treatment after a major surgery or along with chemotherapy.
“I think most doctors would agree on that, you want to try to mop up, so to speak, the pleural space after you’re operating. So the surgery gets rid of the big tumors. And the thought is that radiation can mop up some of the microscopic cancer.”
Doctors may also recommend 3D-CRT as a palliative treatment for mesothelioma symptoms. Low doses of three‑dimensional radiation treatment can shrink tumors that are causing pain or discomfort, helping you achieve a better quality of life.
A mesothelioma specialist can give you a better idea as to if 3D-CRT could help you. If 3D-CRT won’t work for you, your doctors may use other options. For example, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) offers many of the same benefits of 3D-CRT but is more precise, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Call (866) 608-8933 to get help exploring mesothelioma radiation treatments and other therapies that could extend our survival. Our mesothelioma nurses are ready to review your options with you.
Mesothelioma 3D-CRT Side Effects
Even though 3D-CRT for mesothelioma delivers a precise dose of radiation, it can still cause side effects. This is because healthy tissues and organs in your body could get hurt due to the radiation.
Side effects of three-dimensional radiation treatment may include:
- Appetite loss
- Esophagitis (inflamed esophagus)
- Fatigue
- Hair loss
- Nausea
- Pericarditis (inflamed lining of the heart)
- Pneumonitis (inflamed lung)
- Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
- Pulmonary fibrosis (stiffening of the lungs)
- Shortness of breath
- Skin irritation or redness in the treated area
Some of the more severe side effects of radiation therapy, like pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis, are known as toxicities and can affect your quality of life. However, your doctors can recommend supportive options like medications to help ease any side effects you experience.
In some cases, your doctors may recommend stopping three‑dimensional radiation treatment if the side effects become too hard for you to bear. They can then suggest other types of treatments that you might be able to tolerate more easily.
How Effective is 3D-CRT Radiotherapy For Mesothelioma?
While three-dimensional radiation treatment can’t cure cancer, it can play an important role in improving your overall mesothelioma prognosis, or health outlook. When combined with other treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, it can help control tumor growth and ease symptoms.
For example, pleural mesothelioma patients had a life expectancy of roughly 21-30 months when treated with 3D-CRT, chemotherapy, and surgery, according to Radiation Oncology.
Even palliative 3D-CRT could potentially help mesothelioma cancer patients live longer. The Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology reported that patients who received palliative three-dimensional radiation treatment typically lived for 9 and a half months. The cancer also stopped growing for nearly 5 months on average.
Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide to see how radiation and other treatments could help you or someone you love.
Get Help Accessing Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy
If you or a loved one is facing mesothelioma, three-dimensional radiation treatment could be a big help. Doctors can use 3D-CRT to shrink tumors, make you feel better, and improve your survival time.
A mesothelioma diagnosis can be overwhelming, but by working with our team, you can understand what lies ahead and how to get the right treatments.
Work with Mesothelioma Hope to:
- Find local doctors who can use radiation to treat you
- Get access to financial compensation to cover medical care
- Receive the support you and your family deserve
Use our Free Doctor Match to find mesothelioma radiation specialists near you or call (866) 608-8933 now to get help from our team.
Mesothelioma 3D-CRT FAQs
What is 3D-CRT radiation therapy?
Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) allows doctors to precisely deliver a dose of radiation to a mesothelioma cancer tumor. This is done by taking detailed pictures of the tumor and surrounding tissues using CT scans, MRIs, and other imaging tests.
During treatment, several beams are aimed at the tumor from different angles, allowing doctors to target the cancer while limiting radiation to healthy areas.
3D-CRT is one of many types of radiation treatments that could be used for mesothelioma. Your doctor can review your specific diagnosis and determine if 3D-CRT or another form of radiation could help in your case.
How much does 3D conformal radiation therapy cost?
Three‑dimensional radiation treatment can be very expensive, particularly if you don’t have insurance. Getting this cancer treatment can cost over $10,000 according to Radiation Oncology. Also, insurance may not fully cover three-dimensional radiation treatments or other related costs.
The good news is that we can help you access mesothelioma compensation to cover the cost of treatment and other expenses. Call (866) 608-8933 now to see how you can get financial payouts after a mesothelioma diagnosis.
What are some 3D-CRT advantages and disadvantages?
Three-dimensional radiation treatment for mesothelioma can potentially help you live longer and relieve cancer symptoms.
When combined with other treatments like surgery and radiation, other mesothelioma patients have lived a long time. The general life expectancy for mesothelioma is 12-21 months, but patients have survived for over 2 and a half years with 3D-CRT and other treatments. It’s also been shown to improve survival time even when used as a pain-relieving option.
However, 3D-CRT can cause serious side effects like lung inflammation, and it’s not as precise as another treatment called intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Your doctor may recommend IMRT or foregoing radiation altogether depending on the specifics of your case.
What is the difference between 3D and IMRT radiation?
Three-dimensional radiation treatment is typically not as precise as intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT). IMRT is also administered by taking 3D images of the cancer tumor and nearby tissues. However, it’s unique from 3D-CRT in that it allows doctors to more directly target certain areas of the tumor, according to the National Cancer Institute.
With that said, three-dimensional radiation treatment could still potentially help as a supplemental option or when combined with chemotherapy, as noted by Exploration of Targeted Anti-Tumor Therapy.
Contact us now to find out which types of mesothelioma radiation could work best in your case.
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