To review the role of radiotherapy in symptom management and overall disease control in metastatic bladder cancer (MetBC), highlighting its significance in palliative care.
Key Findings:
Radiotherapy effectively alleviates urinary symptoms such as haematuria and pelvic pain in MetBC, improving quality of life.
Hypofractionated radiotherapy schedules have shown high rates of symptom relief and disease control, indicating a potential standard of care.
Higher biologically effective doses (BED ≥ 36 Gy) correlate with better control of haematuria, suggesting a dose-response relationship.
Patient selection is crucial for optimizing palliative benefits from radiotherapy, emphasizing the need for individualized treatment plans.
Interpretation:
Radiotherapy serves as a non-invasive, cost-effective palliative treatment for symptomatic relief in MetBC, with emerging evidence supporting its role in managing oligometastatic disease, underscoring the need for careful patient selection.
Limitations:
Small patient cohorts hinder reliable comparisons of efficacy among various palliative radiotherapy schedules, potentially affecting generalizability.
Lack of prospective studies comparing different radiotherapy schedules limits the strength of the conclusions drawn.
Conclusion:
Radiotherapy is a valuable option for symptom palliation in metastatic bladder cancer, particularly for patients with oligometastatic disease. Ongoing research is essential to maximize treatment benefits and refine patient selection criteria.
