Clinical practice and outcomes of palliative radiation therapy in pediatric oncology patients: An international comparison of experiences from two distinct countries and health care systems

Avani Dholakia Rao, Maria Luisa S. Figueiredo, Nikhil Yegya-Raman, Shuchi Sehgal, Qinyu Chen, Sara R. Alcorn, Michael J. Chen, Matthew Ladra, Rosangela Villar, Stephanie A. Terezakis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background and purpose: This study describes clinical outcomes of palliative radiation therapy (RT)for children treated in distinct health-care environments—the US where there is advanced integration of palliative resources and Brazil, a country in the process of developing provisions for pediatric palliative care. Methods and materials: Palliative RT cases of pediatric oncology patients aged ≤21-years from 2010 to 2016 in two Brazil-based and one US-based (Johns Hopkins Hospital, JHH)academic centers were reviewed in this study. Results: Eighty-eight pediatric patients were treated to 131 lesions with palliative RT. Forty-nine patients from the JHH cohort comprised 84 cases and 39 patients from the Brazil cohort comprised 46 cases. The most common indication for palliative RT was pain (55% overall, 39% Brazil, 63% JHH). Sixty-seven percent of patients experienced a complete (CR)or partial response (PR)to palliative RT, 12% reported stable symptoms (SS), and 22% reported progressive symptoms (PS). The median survival from the end of palliative RT was 3.6 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.3–4.8 months). When treated with palliative RT for pain, 83% of patients experience CR/PR, facilitating reduction or discontinuation of opiates in 46% of these patients. Conclusion: Despite different practices, the clinical results using palliative RT for pediatric patients treated in two unique healthcare environments demonstrated it is an effective tool for pediatric oncology patients across systems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-5
Number of pages5
JournalRadiotherapy and Oncology
Volume140
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2019

Keywords

  • Palliative radiation therapy
  • Palliative therapy
  • Pediatric radiation therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hematology
  • Oncology
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Clinical practice and outcomes of palliative radiation therapy in pediatric oncology patients: An international comparison of experiences from two distinct countries and health care systems'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this