Journal of Cancer Science and Research
Open Access

Palliative Radiotherapy

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.1 The average UK general practice oversees care for around 20 patients with terminal cancer each year with higher numbers seen in secondary care,23 while a Canadian survey of general practitioners found that 85% had provided care for patients 

Radiation therapy uses high energy xrays to treat cancer. Palliative treatment means treatment to shrink a cancer, slow down its growth, or control symptoms caused by the cancer.

It does not aim to cure the cancer and so lower doses of radiation can be safely used without much in the way of side effects for the patient. The aim of delivering palliative radiation therapy is to control symptoms of a cancer or prevent symptoms from occurring and so giving the patient a better quality of life.

Palliative radiation is not suitable for all types of cancers – it depends on the particular type and the area that the cancer has spread to. Sometimes other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy may be more helpful.