Palliative Radiotherapy (Symptom Relief Care)

Palliative radiotherapy is the use of radiation therapy in patients with advanced, incurable cancers to relieve pain, stop bleeding, shrink tumors causing blockages, and improve overall quality of life.

Symptom Relief & Pain Control

One of the most common applications of palliative radiation is for bone metastases. Cancer that spreads to the bones can cause severe, debilitating pain. A short course of targeted radiation (often just 1 to 5 sessions) can significantly reduce or completely eliminate pain in up to 75% of patients, reducing the need for strong narcotic pain medications.

Shrinking Tumors to Relieve Pressure

Palliative radiation is also highly effective at relieving spinal cord compression (which can cause paralysis if left untreated), resolving superior vena cava syndrome (where a chest tumor blocks blood flow to the head), and shrinking tumors in the lung that are causing severe shortness of breath or persistent coughing up of blood.