Abstract
PURPOSE: To clarify the toxicity of palliative radiotherapy (RT) and its efficacy against bleeding of unresectable gastric cancer. METHODS: Clinical data of 19 patients received palliative RT for bleeding from unresectable gastric cancer were reviewed. The median total dose and dose per fraction were 40 Gy (range 2-50 Gy) and 2.5 Gy (range 1.8-3 Gy). RESULTS: The treatment success rate was 68.4%. By using a tumor alpha/beta ratio of 10, biological effective dose of 50 Gy(10) or more was significantly correlated with treatment success (P = 0.040). The median event-free survival was 1.5 months after RT and the median overall survival from starting RT was 3.4 months. Grade 3 nausea and anorexia were recorded in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Palliative RT was effective for hemostasis in patients with gastric cancer bleeding with minor adverse events.