Radiotherapy to ease pain and symptoms
Not all radiotherapy aims to remove the disease. Sometimes the aim is less pain and an easier life.
Sometimes the doctor suggests radiotherapy and the family asks: “Now that the disease is advanced, what is the use?” The answer lies in the aim of treatment.
What does palliative radiotherapy mean?
Radiation can shrink a tumour so that pain lessens, or so that problems such as breathlessness and loss of bladder or bowel control improve. Here the aim is to improve symptoms, not to cure the disease completely.
Palliative treatment does not mean the patient is being given up on. Less pain means better sleep, more movement and better time with family.
How many sessions?
Usually fewer than for a full course. To control symptoms, a single session is sometimes enough. The doctor decides from the site of the problem and the patient’s condition.
What to expect afterwards
The effect of radiation is not immediate and comes gradually. When bone pain is treated, some patients have a temporary rise in pain in the first days after treatment. If this happens, tell your care team, and do not stop pain medicine on your own.
Good questions to ask
- What is the aim of this treatment?
- Which symptom should it improve, and when should we expect that?
- How many sessions are there, and can the patient come in their current condition?
- If travel is hard, what options are there?
For travel and services at home, see the patient support page.