Early palliative radiation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed cancer: Reasons, clinical practice, and survival

The study population of patients who received early palliative RT is not identical to the general population described in previous studies, which covered the entire disease trajectory. Median survival was relatively short and rate of RT in the last 30 days of life higher than expected. Need for early palliative RT might be caused by large symptom burden and/or contraindication(s) for other management options, and might in many cases also be associated with adverse prognostic features and aggressive disease.