At the intersection of palliative care and radiation oncology.

Abstract

Radiation oncologists, as oncology providers who frequently care for patients with advanced cancers, serve as primary palliative care providers for their patients. The intersection of palliative care and radiation oncology, or “palliative radiation oncology,” is a concept that would have been foreign over a decade ago. However, given increasing awareness and understanding of the importance of palliative care to cancer patients’ quality-of-life and to disease outcomes, the radiation oncology community is primed to incorporate generalist palliative care into everyday practice. This focused issue, including eleven invited articles and two original research articles, explores the complex intersection of palliative care and radiation oncology to provide a comprehensive overview of their integration in the care of advanced cancer patients.