Palliative Radiotherapy at the Crossroads of Supportive Oncology: Addressing Global Gaps, Guideline Deficits, and the Expanding Need for Symptom-Directed Cancer Care

TL;DR

Palliative radiotherapy is underused and under-researched, but integrating supportive oncology can improve its use and manage treatment side effects globally.

Contribution

This paper emphasizes the role of supportive oncology in addressing gaps in palliative radiotherapy use and toxicity management.

Findings

Palliative radiotherapy is underutilized, especially in vulnerable patient groups.

Radiotherapy toxicity is under-researched and lacks global guidelines.

Supportive oncology can improve cancer care by integrating symptom control and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Abstract

Palliative radiotherapy has a wide range of applications in the treatment of advanced cancers. It is a key part of the management of several oncology emergencies including metastatic spinal cord compression and superior vena cava obstruction. It can provide symptom control but also halt progression of disease. Despite its benefits, it is underutilised globally. Advances in radiotherapy techniques have improved long-term survival. There are therefore many people living with and beyond cancer. However, alongside this, there is a rise in the number of people living with significant toxicity from treatment including those treated with radical or palliative radiotherapy. This paper highlights the role of supportive oncology in tackling both palliative radiotherapy underutilisation and radiotherapy toxicity by promoting its integration into radiotherapy services. This paper identifies the need for supportive oncology-focused research, education, and guidelines on radiotherapy toxicity management and outlines areas for future development.

Radiotherapy has been a central component of cancer therapy for over a century, with the field rapidly evolving over time, resulting in improved outcomes. These advances have contributed to a changing demographic, with growing numbers of people living longer with, and surviving the disease. This has been accompanied by an increasing burden of chronic physical and psychological side effects, including radiotherapy-related toxicity. These long-term consequences have a substantial impact on patients, their carers, and healthcare systems. Significant global inequities persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where access to radiotherapy and comprehensive supportive and palliative care remains limited. Supportive oncology has emerged as a new field focusing on the management of acute, chronic, and emergent problems in people living with and beyond cancer. Despite its benefits, palliative radiotherapy continues to be underused, especially in specific patient groups including paediatrics, older age adults, and those with a short prognosis. Often treatment decisions in these patient groups are challenging and the integration of supportive oncology could help overcome this. Furthermore, radiotherapy toxicity and its management has been under-researched despite huge advancements in cancer treatments leading to a lack of guidelines and varied practice globally. Supportive oncology offers a framework to address these challenges through earlier integration into treatment pathways, multidisciplinary collaboration, and a stronger focus on symptom control, survivorship, and equity. Embedding supportive oncology within radiotherapy services is essential to delivering high-quality, patient-centred cancer care worldwide.