What Are the Treatments for Radiation Pneumonitis?
Radiation pneumonitis is inflammation of the lungs caused from radiotherapy. Radiation treatments for cancer cells within the breast or the chest can affect your healthy cells. After receiving radiotherapy five days per week for about six weeks, you can be prone to radiation pneumonitis. The symptoms of radiation pneumonitis include cough, shortness of breath and fever. The symptoms are not always apparent. Radiation pneumonitis can be detected on a chest X-ray or CT scan. Here are five treatments for radiation pneumonitis.
Prednisone Treatment
Physicians use cortisone drugs, such as prednisone (high doses) to reduce the inflammation of your lungs by suppressing the immune system. Prednisone can be taken orally as a pill. After several weeks of taking high doses of prednisone, your doctor can lower the dose for several months. If you don't take medication, radiation pneumonitis can lead to a condition called, radiation fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs. The side effects of prednisone include a higher risk of developing infections.
Amifostine (Ethyol) Treatment
Physicians also use amisfostine, which is another drug treatment for radiation pneumonitis. Amisfostine protects your healthy cells from radiation and chemotherapy. The drug scavenges free radicals. Free radicals are produced by radiation, which can damage your normal cells. Amisfostine helps decrease the rate of pneumonitis in your body.
Antibiotic Therapy
Radiation pneumonitis can lead to the development of bacterial infections in your lungs. Antibiotic therapy helps your body fight against bacterial infections. Your doctor determines the type of antibiotic that is going to be used with the treatment. The antibiotic used depends on the bacteria that causes the infection. Antibiotic treatment can be taken as a pill or through a vein. The side effects involved nausea or vomiting.
Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen therapy is given to patients with chronic radiation pneumonitis (fibrosis). Patients who have fibrosis need oxygen therapy because have trouble breathing. Oxygen treatment consists of a mask with a tube attached to it, and prongs that are inserted into the nostrils. The mask provides you with breathing air that is filled with oxygen.
Pentoxifylline and Vitamin E
The doctor can give you a combination of pentoxifylline and Vitamin E to treat radiation pneumonitis. Pentoxifylline is a drug that relieves pain in your lungs. The drug also heals your lung tissue from the damage of radiation. Vitamin E is used for scavenging reactive species in your body. A combination of both treatments for a period of six months can reduce the effects of radiation on your lungs. No side effects have been reported from patients under both treatments.
Tags: your lungs, radiation pneumonitis, radiation pneumonitis, side effects, your body
