Palliative Radiotherapy for End-of-Life Oncology Care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24950/Revisao/103/19/1/2020Keywords:
Neoplasms/radiotherapy, Palliative Care, Radiation Oncology, Terminal CareAbstract
Palliative radiotherapy can help to alleviate a multitude of symptoms related to advanced cancer. Time to symptom relief is measured in 24-48 hours or weeks to months after the completion of radiotherapy. The optimal rate of radiotherapy use in the final months of life is unclear; therefore, its use must be judicious. But would incorporate anticipated efficacy in patients whose survival allows it and minimize overuse among patients with expected short survival. Studies have shown that oncologists overestimate patient survival times of patients with advanced cancer and expose terminally ill patients to the burden of longer fractionated courses of radiotherapy with no further benefits. Prognostic indices can help with estimations of survival length and may assist to guide treatment decisions regarding palliative radiotherapy in patients with potentially short survival times. This review intends to highlight the advantages and role for palliative radiotherapy in end-of-life oncology care.
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