who knows about brain radiation?

keli

I have just finished radiation and chemo for NSCLC and am considering "prophylactic cranial irration". Would like to hear from someone who has had it.

michaelcie

hi, I have small cell lung cancer and also was advised to do the brain irradiation by my radiologist. I asked my oncologist and she gave me a cringe type of look and said she wasn't happy with the side effects , so I opted out against the radiologists advise. I am two years in remission last February but again, this is a very personal decision and I would seek a second opinion before I made a decision. Also do some of your own research. You do have time to make this decision. Another thing is that what made me decide against the radiation is that the six and a half weeks of radiation to my chest, side and back , did nothing to stop my cancer. The chemo (four) is what stopped my small cell lung cancer and has me in remission. Well , God bless and you are in my heart and prayers. Mike

keli

michaelcie said:

hi, I have small cell lung cancer and also was advised to do the brain irradiation by my radiologist. I asked my oncologist and she gave me a cringe type of look and said she wasn't happy with the side effects , so I opted out against the radiologists advise. I am two years in remission last February but again, this is a very personal decision and I would seek a second opinion before I made a decision. Also do some of your own research. You do have time to make this decision. Another thing is that what made me decide against the radiation is that the six and a half weeks of radiation to my chest, side and back , did nothing to stop my cancer. The chemo (four) is what stopped my small cell lung cancer and has me in remission. Well , God bless and you are in my heart and prayers. Mike

Wow -thanks Mike -God bless

dsven14

Hi I had small cell carcinoma and after treatment had the brain radiation, just finished in March. It is a very personal decision, I am young and decided to do it. there are side effects, being tired is the big one. I had to go on steroids and be slowly taken off, weight gain, not able to sleep. You hyave to be carful to stay away from sick people. Some people it doesn't bother, some people have a rough time. It was the right decision for me, definatly do as much research about it as u can. there is not a whole lot on it . Best of Luck

keli

dsven14 said:

Hi I had small cell carcinoma and after treatment had the brain radiation, just finished in March. It is a very personal decision, I am young and decided to do it. there are side effects, being tired is the big one. I had to go on steroids and be slowly taken off, weight gain, not able to sleep. You hyave to be carful to stay away from sick people. Some people it doesn't bother, some people have a rough time. It was the right decision for me, definatly do as much research about it as u can. there is not a whole lot on it . Best of Luck

Do you have hair?

luannt

keli said:

Do you have hair?

HI, I also had brain mets with nsclc. I was 40 at the time of my diagnosis, and I didn't feel comfortable having full brain radiation. I choose a procedure called radio sterotactic. I was lucky enough to fit the criteria, and blessed with success. My advice, is to alway's check out what your obtions are, and alway's follow your gut. As far as hair goes, don't worry about it, the wigs they have today are great. My friend has a wig and you can't even tell it's a wig.

Good luck,
Luann

gdpawel

Side Effects of Whole Brain Radiation

The initial approach to using radiation postoperatively to treat brain metastases, used to be whole brain radiation, but this was abandoned because of the substantial neurological deficits that resulted, sometimes appearing a considerable time after treatment. Whole brain radiation was routinely administered to patients after craniotomy for excision of a cerebral metastasis in an attempt to destroy any residual cancer cells at the surgical site. However, the deleterious effects of whole brain radiation, such as dementia and other irreversible neurotoxicities, became evident.

This raised the question as to whether elective postoperative whole brain radiation should be administered to patients after excision of a solitary brain metastasis. Current clinical practice, at most leading cancer centers, use a more focused radiation field that includes only 2-3cm beyond the periphery of the tumor site. This may involve therapy once a day for about six weeks and allows radiation up to 60gy. This begins as soon as the surgical incision has healed.

Many metastatic brain lesions are now being treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. In fact, some feel radiosurgery is the treatment of choice for most brain metastases. There are a number of radiation treatments for therapy (Stereotatic, Gamma-Knife, Brachyradiation and IMRT to name a few). These treatments are focal and not diffuse. Unlike surgery, few lesions are inaccessible to radiosurgical treatment because of their location in the brain. Also, their generally small size and relative lack of invasion into adjacent brain tissue make brain metastases ideal candidates for radiosurgery. Multiple lesions may be treated as long as they are small.

The risk of neurotoxicity from whole brain radiation is not insignificant and this approach is not indicated in patients with a solitary brain metastasis. Observation or focal radiation is a better choice in solitary metastasis patients. Whole brain radiation can induce neurological deterioration, dementia or both. Those at increased risk for long-term radiation effects are adults over 50 years of age. However, whole brain radiation therapy has been recognized to cause considerable permanent side effects mainly in patients over 60 years of age. The side effects from whole brain radiation therapy affect up to 90% of patients in this age group. Focal radiation to the local tumor bed has been applied to patients to avoid these complications.

Radiation necrosis may result from the death of tumor cells and associated reaction in surrounding normal brain or may result from the necrosis of normal brain tissue surrounding the previously treated metastatic brain tumor. Such reactions tend to occur more frequently in larger lesions (either primary brain tumors or metastatic tumors). Radiation necrosis has been estimated to occur in 20% to 25% of patients treated for these tumors. Some studies say it can develop in at least 40% of patients irradiated for neoplasms following large volume or whole brain radiation and possibly 3% to 9% of patients irradiated focally for brain tumors that developed clinically detectable focal radiation necrosis. In the production of radiation necrosis, the dose and time over which it is given is important, however, the exact amounts that produce such damage cannot be stated.

Late effects of whole brain radiation can include abnormalities of cognition (thinking ability) as well as abnormalities of hormone production. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls pituitary function. The pituitary makes hormones that control production os sex hormones, thyroid hormone, cortisol. Both the pituitary and the hypothalamus will be irradiated if whole brain radiation occurs. Damage to these structures can cause disturbances of personality, libido, thirst, appetite, sleep and other symptoms as well. Psychiatric symptoms can be a prominent part of the clinical picture presented when radiation necrosis occurs.

Aggressive treatment like surgical resection and focal radiation to the local tumor bed in patients with limited or no systemic disease can yield long-term survival. In such patients, delayed deleterious side effects of whole brain radiation therapy are particularly tragic. Within 6 months to 2 years patients can develop progressive dementia, ataxia and urinary incontinence, causing severe disability and in some, death. Delayed radiation injuries result in increased tissue pressure from edema, vascular injury leading to infarction, damage to endothelial cells and fibrinoid necrosis of small arteries and arterioles.

Again, whole brain radiation is the most damaging of all types of radiation treatments and causes the most severe side effects in the long run to patients. In the past, patients who were candidates for whole brain radiation were selected because they were thought to have limited survival times of less than 1-2 years and other technology did not exist. Today, many physicians question the use of whole brain radiation in most cases as one-session radiosurgery treatment can be repeated for original tumors or used for additional tumors with little or no side effects from radiation to healthy tissues. Increasingly, major studies and research have shown that the benefits of radiosurgery can be as effective as whole brain radiation without the side effects.

Sometimes, symptoms of brain damage appear many months or years after radiation therapy, a condition called late-delayed radiation damage (radiation necrosis or radiation encephalopathy). Cerebral radiation necrosis is a debilitating, potentially life-threatening and increasingly frequent problem in patients with brain tumors. These symtoms can be from progression of cancer or it can be caused by the side effects of whole brain radiation. However, the FDG-Pet Scan can provide a reliable technique for diagnosing tumor recurrence from necrosis. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO) is now a useful terapeutic option for patients with confirmed symptomatic radiation necrosis.

The most common condition treated at some Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Centers is tissue injury caused by brain radiation therapy for cancer. Wound healing requires oxygen delivery to the injured tissues. Radiation damaged tissue has lost blood supply and is oxygen deprived. Chronic radiation complications result from scarring and narrowing of the blood vessels within the area which has received the treatment. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy provides a better healing environment and leads to the growth of new blood vessels in a process called re-vascularization. It also fights infection by direct bacteriocidal effects.