Spencer, KL orcid.org/0000-0002-6846-4341, Parrish, R, Barton, R et al. (1 more author) (2018) Palliative radiotherapy. British Medical Journal, 360. k821. ISSN 0959-8146
Abstract
Palliative radiotherapy offers a quick, inexpensive, and effective way of reducing many of the focal symptoms of advanced, incurable cancer, whether these arise from the primary tumour or from metastatic deposits. It can improve quality of life while being associated with limited treatment burden in terms of both hospital attendances and side effects. The average UK general practice oversees care for around 20 patients with terminal cancer each year with higher numbers seen in secondary care, while a Canadian survey of general practitioners found that 85% had provided care for patients with advanced cancer within the previous month. This article aims to update non-specialists on the benefits, practicalities, and side effects of palliative radiotherapy to ensure that patients are considered and referred for these treatments when appropriate.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an open access article, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Palliative; Radiotherapy; Cancer |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology (LICAP) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number MRC MR/N021339/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 27 Mar 2018 09:26 |
Last Modified: | 01 Mar 2019 16:12 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | BMJ |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/bmj.k821 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:128978 |