Palliative Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Patients: Acute Toxicity

Abstract

Palliative radiation therapy (pRT) for pediatric cancer patients is often used to treat conditions from progressive cancer that affect quality of life. Though the doses used are generally lower than those used for curative treatment, pRT may still introduce undesirable side effects. Physicians play a role in accurately depicting possible adverse effects to patients and their family. The goal of this study was to explore adverse effects in pediatric patients undergoing pRT and how they compared to parental expectations based on physician consultation.