Background: Established prognostic models, such as the diagnosis-specific graded prognostic assessment, were not designed to specifically address very short survival. Therefore, a brain metastases-specific 30-day mortality model may be relevant. We hypothesized that in-depth evaluation of a carefully defined cohort with short survival, arbitrarily defined as a maximum of 3 months, may provide ...

Background This study analyzed mortality after radiotherapy for bone metastases (287 courses). Endpoints such as treatment in the last month of life and death within 30, 35 and 40 days from start of radiotherapy were evaluated.<p> <p>Methods Different baseline parameters including but not limited to blood test results and patterns of metastases were assessed for association with early death. After ...

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the toxicity of locoregional adjuvant breast cancer radiotherapy after implementation of this service in a rural healthcare region with long travel distance. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective single-institution analysis of 87 consecutive female patients (the initial cohort), managed with conventionally fractionated 3-D conformal ...

Background/Aim: Many patients with bone metastases receive palliative radiotherapy. However, treatment personalization tools are needed, due to heterogeneous survival. The aim of this study was to analyze the validity of the prognostic survival model, originally developed by Rades et al., because international variations in clinical practice and survival outcomes may impact on the performance of ...

<b>Background/Aim</b>: Compared to intravenous taxane chemotherapy, newer orally-available and/or less toxic agents for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (MCRPC) may be associated with higher likelihood of starting treatment in patients with adverse prognostic features and limited life expectancy. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the rates of treatment initiation during the last ...

Background Recently, the palliative appropriateness criteria (PAC) score, a novel metric to aid clinical decision-making between different palliative radiotherapy fractionation regimens, has been developed. It includes baseline parameters including but not limited to performance status. The researchers behind the PAC score analyzed the percent of remaining life (PRL) on treatment. The latter was ...

Purpose: To analyze survival after early palliative radiotherapy (RT) in patients managed exclusively by regular oncology staff or a multidisciplinary palliative care team (MPCT) in addition. <p>Methods: Retrospective matched pairs analysis. Comparison of two groups of 29 patients each: MPCT versus none. Early RT started within three months after cancer diagnosis. <p>Results: Bone and brain ...

<p><i>Background/Aim - </i>The aim of this study was to analyze the patterns of treatment and outcomes in patients with a large number of brain metastases, arbitrarily defined as 20 or more lesions. These patients are typically excluded from studies of focal brain treatment, e.g., surgery or radiosurgery, and might have a limited prognosis. <p><i>Patients and Methods - </i>This was a retrospective ...

<p><i>Background</i>: The aim of the study was to explore the prognostic impact of different abnormal blood tests and the tumor marker CA 15-3 as well as established parameters such as disease extent and receptor status in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer who received palliative radiotherapy in addition to contemporary systemic treatment.</p> <p><i>Methods</i>: This was a ...

<i>Introduction</i>: Esophagitis influences quality of life and might cause treatment interruption and hospitalization. Previous studies of risk factors focused on curative treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which often involves concomitant chemoradiation (CRT). Given the uncertainty around extrapolation of dose constraints, we analyzed risk factors in patients treated with hypofractionated ...