Onkológia 5/2007

THE ROLE OF RADIOTHERAPY IN PAIN MANAGMENT IN ONCOLOGY

Majority of cancer patients will require radiation therapy at some time in course of their disease, with many having several treatment episodes. Half of all radiation treatments are given with palliative intent for control of local symptoms. Radiotherapy has a major role in symptom control where this is due to localized tumor effect but in this setting has no influence over the natural history of the tumor outside the irradiated area.

Keywords: palliative radiotherapy, brain metastases, bone metastases, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, dysphagia