{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,29]],"date-time":"2026-10-29T12:02:21Z","timestamp":1793275341313,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,27]],"date-time":"2024-03-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1711497600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Discontinuation of palliative radiotherapy due to a patient\u2019s declining general condition poses a clinical dilemma for palliative care physicians. This study aimed to investigate the survival duration of patients whose performance status (PS) deteriorated during palliative radiotherapy and inform decisions regarding early treatment discontinuation. We retrospectively analyzed data from patients referred from our institute\u2019s palliative care department who underwent \u226510 fractions of palliative radiotherapy between March 2017 and December 2021. PS was assessed using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale. Survival duration was calculated from the final day of palliative radiotherapy to death using the Kaplan\u2013Meier method. A total of 35 patients underwent palliative radiotherapy. Seven (20%) experienced deterioration in ECOG PS during treatment. Their median survival duration was significantly shorter at 22 days (95% confidence interval: 1\u201394 days) compared to 125 days (95% confidence interval: 82\u2013150 days) for the 28 patients whose PS remained stable (p = 0.0007). Deterioration in ECOG PS during palliative radiotherapy signifies a markedly shorter survival duration. Careful assessment of a patient\u2019s condition throughout treatment is crucial, and early discontinuation should be considered if their general health worsens rather than strictly adhering to the initial schedule.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol31040133","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,27]],"date-time":"2024-03-27T14:17:34Z","timestamp":1711549054000},"page":"1752-1761","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Deterioration of Performance Status during Palliative Radiotherapy Suggests a Significant Short Survival Duration: Indicating the Necessities for Considering Radiotherapy Discontinuation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1235-5282","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hitoshi","family":"Maemoto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Radiation Oncology, NHO Okinawa Hospital, Okinawa 901-2214, Japan"},{"name":"Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kazuaki","family":"Kushi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Palliative Care, NHO Okinawa Hospital, Okinawa 901-2214, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isoko","family":"Owan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pulmonary Medicine, NHO Okinawa Hospital, Okinawa 901-2214, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takuro","family":"Ariga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan"},{"name":"Health Information Management Center, University of the Ryukyus Hospital, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8869-6924","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joichi","family":"Heianna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Akihiro","family":"Nishie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"iv166","DOI":"10.1093\/annonc\/mdy152","article-title":"Management of cancer pain in adult patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines","volume":"29","author":"Fallon","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann. 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