SAO PAULO, March 1 (UPI) -- The drug amifostine seems to lessen side effects from radiation therapy and makes cancer more susceptible to radiation.
That's what Brazilian researchers found in their study of 1,451 patients who either had radiation therapy alone or radiation therapy plus amifostine.
Patients in the amifostine-treated group had fewer radiation-related side effects like mouth dryness, difficulty swallowing, lung inflammation, bladder inflammation, problems with the esophagus and inflammation of the mucous membranes, they said.
What's more, the drug did not protect the tumor from the radiation therapy, so radiation worked better in these patients, the researchers noted.
Amifostine does have its own side effects in some patients, including nausea and vomiting, they added, but these symptoms can often be controlled with medication.
"Our research shows that adding amifostine to radiation therapy helps reduce side effects while at the same time making the radiation treatments more effective at killing the cancer cells," said Andre Deeke Sasse, a radiation oncologist at Nucleo Brasileiro de Oncologia Baseada em Evidencias in Sao Paolo. "We recommend that patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer ask their doctor about adding amifostine to their treatment," he said.
The findings appear in the March 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology.
