Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39309705›Full record

ReviewAdvances in radiation oncology2024

A Comprehensive Perspective on Educational and Economic Barriers for Utilization of Palliative Radiation Therapy in Hospice: A Narrative Review.

Sarah J Hendee, Kareem Fakhoury, Sana D Karam

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Advances in radiation oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sarah J HendeeRocky Vista University, Parker, Colorado.
Kareem FakhouryUniversity of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
Sana D KaramUniversity of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, Aurora, Colorado.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Despite the agreed-on efficacy and benefits of palliative radiation therapy (PRT) to alleviate end-of-life complications related to cancer progression, PRT remains an underused treatment in the hospice-care setting. Methods and Materials: Literature search on PubMed; 30 articles were selected by the authors. All articles included are published after the year 2000 in peer reviewed journals. Results: Educational barriers for medical practitioners outside radiation oncology can be addressed by creating formal education programs that reduce knowledge gaps previously identified by survey-based research studies. For radiation oncologists, continued education should focus on increasing competence and comfort with end-of-life conversations and indications for use of single-fraction radiation for patients with advanced cancer. More information on radiation oncology options should be provided to patients. As for economic barriers, rapid-access programs that use advanced level practitioners can increase PRT access by the hospice population. Also, these programs can increase use of single-fraction radiation therapy (SFX RT) in patients with a shorter projected prognosis. SFX RT is beneficial in this setting because it decreases hospice expense and is as efficacious at palliating pain in patients with advanced cancer as multiple-fraction radiation. Conclusions: The barriers of education and economic limitations can be addressed by: expanding the PRT curriculum for all practicing physicians, improving radiation oncologist palliative care knowledge, increasing PRT resources for patients, increasing number of rapid-access radiation therapy programs, and, when indicated, encouraging use of single-fraction radiation treatment for hospice patients.

Identifiers

PMID39309705
PMCPMC11415961

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.