title: Treatment interruption during radiation therapy: Experience at a single institution in the Republic of Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our study analyzed the frequency and causes of treatment interruption among patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1637 RT courses in 1500 patients were reviewed from September 2009 to October 2013. A continuous break over 7 days or a discontinuous break over 14 days was regarded as a temporary break and RT under 80% of planned treatment was regarded as incomplete.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-hundred and twenty courses (13.4%) with treatment interruption were identified. Half of the patients received RT with a definitive aim, and the other half for palliative care. Completion after temporary break, near completion and incompletion were noticed in 12.3%, 21.3%, and 66.4% of cases, respectively. Among patients with a definite aim, thorax (19.2%) and abdomen (16.3%) had a higher interruption rate. For brain and bone with a palliative aim, the frequency of interruption was about 16%. Old age and worse performance negatively affected interruption. The most common cause of treatment interruption was cancer progression including death (30%) and the next was treatment-related side effects (23.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  About 13% of RT cases were interrupted. Two third of patients received less than 80% of the planned RT. To improve RT completion rate, multidirectional efforts are needed.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiation Oncology, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Department of Radiation Oncology, Guro Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Ae
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiation Oncology, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Nam Kwon
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiation Oncology, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Won Sup
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Guro Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Sik
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiation Oncology, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chul Yong
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Ansan Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, Ansan, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Se Ryun
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Ansan Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, Ansan, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hwa Jeong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Seong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D056910:Republic of Korea
keywords: cancer; interruption; radiotherapy