PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sean Brown
AU  - Peter Kirkbride
AU  - Ernie Marshall
TI  - Radiotherapy in the acute medical setting
AID  - 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-4-382
DP  - 2015 Aug 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 382--387
VI  - 15
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/4/382.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/4/382.full
SO  - Clin Med2015 Aug 01; 15
AB  - Radiotherapy is an effective treatment modality and an essential tool in the management of cancer. As the incidence of malignant disease rises it is inevitable that physicians will increasingly encounter patients who have presented acutely and require radiotherapy or with a complication from irradiation. This paper explores the basic principles of radiotherapy tailored to the perspective of the acute medical physician and how to manage acute complications. We also discuss the role of radiotherapy in the acutely ill patient and define the need for radiotherapy pathways to ensure that patients receive treatment in a timely manner.