Offering practical, comprehensive coverage of the many nuanced technical and clinical aspects of this growing field, Palliative Radiation Oncology provides up-to-date clinical guidance in a thorough yet concise manner. In an easy-access format, it integrates basic science, pathologies, and research with clinical applications, covering different ways to approach problems, tumor assessment, precise target definition, and dosing-specific guidelines to minimize side effects/toxicities while balancing with desired outcomes.

• Discusses optimal communication skills for pediatric, adult, and elderly patients.
• Contains decision-making algorithms to guide individualized palliative radiation oncology treatment plans.
• Reviews all the latest modalities with technical tips and pitfalls.
• Covers key procedures such as external beam radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery.
• Features step-by-step body site-specific guidelines with integrated symptom and toxicity management.
• Covers symptom and symptom-cluster management, including pain and psychosocial or spiritual distress.
• Ideal for radiation oncology residents, fellows, and practitioners, as well as medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, oncology nurses, and radiation technicians―all clinicians who work in this highly collaborative, team-based specialty.

Contents

۱. Definition of palliative care
۲. Introduction to prognostication
۳. Basic communication frameworks
۴. Troubleshooting difficult conversation
۵. Models of multidisciplinary management
۶. Palliative radiation
۷. Selecting modalities
۸. Treatment planning in palliative radiotherapy
۹. Alternate modalities for palliation
۱۰. Combining radiation and systemic therapy
۱۱. Considerations involving reirradiation
۱۲. Palliative radiotherapy in the head and neck
۱۳. Palliative thoracic radiation
۱۴. Palliative radiotherapy in the breast and chest wall
۱۵. Palliative radiotherapy for gastrointestinal malignancies
۱۶. Palliative radiotherapy for gynecologic malignancies
۱۷. Palliative radiotherapy in pediatrics
۱۸. Radiotherapeutic palliation of lymphoma
۱۹. Radiotherapeutic palliation of bone marrow diseases—leukemia and multiple myeloma
۲۰. Palliative radiotherapy in bones
۲۱. Palliative radiotherapy in the brain
۲۲. Palliative radiotherapy in the spine
۲۳. Palliative radiotherapy in oligometastases
۲۴. Palliative radiotherapy in the older adult
۲۵. General symptom overview: Importance of side effect management, CINV, anorexia, and cachexia
۲۶. Management of pain
۲۷. Management of fatigue
۲۸. Management of skin toxicity
۲۹. Central nervous system: Symptoms and toxicities
۳۰. Management of symptoms and treatment-related toxicities of head and neck cancers
۳۱. Chest and thorax: Symptoms and toxicities
۳۲. Abdomen and pelvis: Symptoms and toxicities
۳۳. Late toxicities management
۳۴. Psychosocial and spiritual distress