Palliative Radiotherapy
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Palliative Radiotherapy
Palliative Radiotherapy (RT)
- Definition: Radiotherapy aimed at relieving symptoms and improving quality of life, rather than curing the disease.
- Goal: Symptom control with minimal side effects and short treatment duration.
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Typical Indications:
- Bone metastases (pain relief, fracture prevention)
- Brain metastases (reduce edema, neurological symptoms)
- Spinal cord compression
- Bleeding tumors (e.g., lung, cervix, bladder)
- Airway or esophageal obstruction
- Painful or fungating masses
Key Features
Feature
Description
Intent
Symptom relief, not curative
Dose/Fractionation
Hypofractionated schedules (e.g., 8 Gy x 1, 20 Gy/5#, 30 Gy/10#)
Treatment Time
Short; often completed in 1 to 2 weeks
Techniques Used
3D-CRT, simple IMRT, sometimes SBRT for oligometastasis
Advantages
- Rapid symptom relief
- Minimally invasive, outpatient procedure
- Can be tailored to patient performance status and prognosis