title: [Does Radiotherapy have a role in end-of-life care?].
abstract: Up to 50% of cancer patients will receive radiation therapy as a part of their treatment. Radiation may be delivered with curative or palliative intent, according to the extent of disease, the patient's performance status and his wishes. The aim of palliative radiotherapy is to locally control primary tumor or metastasis and, thus, to slow down the disease. Another purpose is to decrease symptoms as part of the supportive care in the end of life. The total dose, the dose per fraction and the technique of irradiation used vary with the treatment aim. Indications of radiotherapy in the end of life are reviewed in this paper
authors.affiliation: Service de Radiothérapie, CHU de Liège. nbarthelemy@chu.ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barthelemy
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gennigens
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delgaudine
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Coucke
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000379:methods; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods*