Patient Outcomes in Cancer Patients Treated with Palliative Radiation
Author Information
Author(s): Cameron Marte, Christian Kersten, Rene van Helvoirt, Gudrun Rohde, Sophie D Fosså, Ingvild Vistad
Primary Institution: Center for Cancer Treatment, Sørlandet Hospital Trust
Hypothesis
Is it feasible to prospectively measure symptoms and quality of life among patients treated with palliative pelvic radiation?
Conclusion
The study shows that it is feasible to evaluate symptoms and quality of life among patients undergoing palliative pelvic radiation.
Supporting Evidence
- Twenty patients were still in the study at the 6-week follow-up and 18 patients at the 12-week follow-up.
- Compliance to questionnaires was sufficient to enable evaluation in a larger patient group.
- Patients reported that they enjoyed participating in the study despite the demanding protocol.
Takeaway
Doctors wanted to see if they could ask cancer patients about their symptoms and quality of life while they were getting treatment, and they found that it worked well.
Methodology
Patients were assessed using questionnaires before, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after radiation treatment.
Potential Biases
Potential biases due to the exploratory nature of the study and the lack of psychometric testing for some questionnaires.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and included a heterogeneous patient population, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Median age was 75 years, with 17 males and 5 females, diagnosed with prostate, colorectal, and bladder cancers.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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