Supportive Care in Radiotherapy

More than 50% of people with cancer have radiotherapy at some time during their illness, yet their needs for supportive care have received little attention compared with the needs of patients undergoing other types of cancer treatment. Unlike other texts, which concentrate on the planning and delivery of radiotherapy, this book addresses the impact of treatment on the individual and the issues facing health carers who provide clinical and supportive care.

Supportive care in radiotherapy integrates key aspects of assessment, physical and psychosocial morbidity and toxicity management, placing these in the physical, psychosocial and organisational context in which they occur. Patients perspectives are used throughout the text to illustrate the physical and emotional experience of radiotherapy and the difficulties facing patients who are in transition through the system. New and innovative approaches to patient care are discussed as well as challenges facing radiotherapy practitioners today. Practical advice on the assessment and clinical management of acute and late side effects is provided. Critical reviews of the current evidence base are included, along with future directions for clinical research and development.

Written by a multi-professional group of authors, this book is aimed primarily at nurses and therapy radiographers but is also relevant to hospital and community doctors and nurses who encounter patients before, during and after radiotherapy. The book will be suitable for undergraduates and postgraduates, as it relates current research findings and theory to the clinical practice environment, within the context of cancer care delivery in the 21^st century.