Mesothelioma News – Definitive Radiation Therapy Extends Life

A study was done by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. According to the study patients with pleural mesothelioma are missing a chance to increase their survival time. This is as a result of not using definitive radiation to the full. A team of doctors found that the total survival almost doubled for patients who used radiation therapy. These results were the same even though patients used different or other treatments. The normal life expectancy for a mesothelioma patient currently sits at two and a half years. But the study shows that this is almost doubled by the continued use of definitive radiation.

Definitive Radiation Increases Survival Rates

The results of the research show that patients that received definitive radiation therapy had a two and five year overall survival rate of thirty three point nine percent (33.9%) and twelve point six percent (12.6%) respectively.

Definitive Radiation

These percentages are compared to nineteen point five percent (19.5%) and five point three percent (5.3%) respectively for patients who did not receive treatment.

Recommendations

In respect of the findings of the study the research team gave recommendations to doctors. They recommended that doctors increase the use of definitive radiation for their patients. They further, recommended that radiotherapy be the primary treatment for pleural mesothelioma. Doctor Emanuela Taioli noted that patients were generally directed to use other therapies instead of radiotherapy. Further, she stated that the team had found that radiation therapy had been effective and should be considered more often than it was in the past.

The main reason why most people are less likely to use radiotherapy is the side effects. But Doctor Taioli stated that much had changed in radiation where now it is “much more precise” and “very targeted”.