S2680
RTT - Patient experience and quality of life
ESTRO 2026
skattning/smartskattning-av-akut-och-postoperativ- smarta/skalor-for-smartskattning.[2] Farrar, J.T., Young, J.P.,Jr., LaMoreaux, L, Werth, J.L., & Poole, R.M. (2001). Clinical importance of changes in chronic pain intensity measured on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale. Pain, 94(2), 149-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3959(01)00349-9 Keywords: palliative radiotherapy, pain response, NRS
summarize baseline and follow-up pain scores. A clinically meaningful pain response was defined as a reduction of ≥ 2 points on the NRS [2]. Results: A total of 177 patients were recruited, of which 131 patients provided complete NRS data. Median age was 71 (range: 27-93) years. The median baseline NRS was 6 (range: 1-10), indicating moderate to severe pain prior to treatment (fig.1). At six weeks, the median NRS decreased by 2 points. No association with NRS decrease and primary diagnosis was found. Overall, 55% of patients achieved a clinically meaningful pain reduction, while 45% reported stable or worsened scores. A significant correlation was observed between baseline NRS and change in NRS at follow-up (Spearman’s rho=-0.627, p<0.001), suggesting greater improvement among those with higher initial pain levels (fig.2). An improvement in NRS at follow-up was correlated to patient self-reported satisfactory treatment effect (fig.2, p<0.05).
Digital Poster 4193
Radiographer-led evaluation of geometric accuracy and patient experience with the Encompass mask system in MRI planning for brain metastases Aoife Williamson 1 , Stephanie Thomson 2 , Aileen Duffton 1 1 Radiotherapy, Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, United Kingdom. 2 Medical Physics, Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, United Kingdom Purpose/Objective: BackgroundRoutinely, brain metastases patients have their radiotherapy MRI planning scans (MRI_RT) acquired without their treatment immobilisation. This is due to limitations of MRI diagnostic coils not allowing space and fixation for either a head rest or a thermoplastic mask. Patients may also feel discomfort, anxiety, or noise exposure when immobilised for an MRI scan. Study aimTo evaluate geometric accuracy and patient experience using the encompass mask system for MRI_RT scans for patients with brain metastases. Material/Methods: Methodology Patients were scanned on Siemans 1.5 T MAGNETOM Sola (T1 +gad sequences) using the standard diagnostic MRI head coil without immobilisation; and then consecutively with the Encompass immobilisation system (Qfix) combined with the MRI UltraFlex 18 large coil. Each MRI scan was registered to the planning CT in separate courses, to ensure blinding during GTV delineation. GTVs were delineated on each MRI 1mm slice by the consultant therapeutic radiographer with 10 years’ experience of delineating GTV for brain metastases patients. The absolute differences in COM coordinates and the DSC of volumes between the two MRIs were compared. Patients completed 12 questions from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Anxiety Questionnaire (MRI-AQ) after the MRI with the encompass mask. Participation was voluntary and patients were consented with scans taking place.
Conclusion: Prospective collection of NRS data demonstrates substantial pain relief at six weeks following palliative radiotherapy. More than half of patients experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in pain. Routine patient-reported pain monitoring is feasible and provides valuable quality indicators for palliative RT outcomes. References: [1] Vårdhandboken. (n.d.). Skalor för smärtskattning. Vårdhandboken. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://www.vardhandboken.se/vard-och- behandling/akut-bedomning-och-
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online