“This textbook, Radiation Oncology in Palliative Cancer Care, represents the full evolution of radiation therapy, and of oncology in general. ( … ) [It] is an acknowledgment that palliative radiotherapy is now a sub-specialty of radiation oncology. This formally makes palliative radiotherapy a priority within patient care, academic research, quality assurance, and medical education.” – From the Foreword by Nora Janjan, MD, MPSA, MBA, National Center for Policy Analysis, Dallas, TX, USA
Palliative Medicine is the professional medical practice of prevention and relief of suffering and the support of the best possible quality of life for patients and their families, regardless of the stage of the disease or the need for other therapies. The most common cause for palliative care referral is terminal cancer, and a large proportion of those referrals include patients who will need palliative radiotherapy during the course of their disease. Still, there are barriers to coordinated care between radiation oncologists and palliative care physicians that differ from one country to another. Until now, one overarching limitation to appropriate concurrent care between the specialties across all countries has been the lack of a comprehensive yet concise reference resource that educates each of the specialties about the potential synergistic effects of their cooperation. This book fills that void.
Radiation Oncology in Palliative Cancer Care:
*Is the first book-length treatment of this important topic available on the market *Is authored by world-renowned experts in radiation oncology and palliative medicine *Uses a multidisciplinary approach to content and patient treatment *Features decision trees for palliative radiotherapy based upon factors such as patient performance status and prognosis *Pays careful attention to current best practices and controversies in the delivery of end-of-life cancer care
This book is an important resource for practicing radiation oncologists and radiation oncologists in training, as well as hospice and palliative medicine physicians and nurses, medical oncologists, and geriatricians.
Stephen Lutz is one of only a small number of Radiation Oncologists who is also board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.?He has served as the liaison between the US radiotherapy and palliative care communities for the past several years. His main research interests have included the formation of palliative radiotherapy treatment guidelines as well as the collaboration between the two specialties with regard to research, education, and patient advocacy.
Edward Chow is a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto?and is a senior scientist in the Sunnybrook Research Institute. He is Chair of the Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program and Bone Metastases Site Group in the Odette Cancer Center at?Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Peter Hoskin is a UK clinical oncologist with long standing research interests in palliative radiotherapy, in particular the management of bone metastases and spinal cord compression. He was a clinical research fellow in Palliative Medicine working in opioid pharmacology before focusing his interests in clinical oncology and was Chair of the International Consensus in Palliative Radiotherapy in 2000 and ESTRO Co-chair in 2010. He has written extensively on the role of radiotherapy in palliative care in original publications and major book chapters.
