S2684
RTT - Patient experience and quality of life
ESTRO 2026
treatment experience questionnaire on a 1.5 T MR- Linac. Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology, [online] 30, pp.31–37. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctro.2021.06.003 Keywords: radixact, online adaptive radiotherapy Digital Poster 4368 Understanding the Radiotherapy Journey: Insights from Palliative Patients Petronella Lannerheim 1 , Anna-Maria Lind 1 , Jenny Gorgisyan 1,2 , Per Munck af Rosenschöld 1,2 1 Radiation Physics, Department of Haematology, Oncology and Radiation Physics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. 2 Medical Radiation Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Purpose/Objective: At our institution approximately ten patients per week receive short-course palliative radiotherapy. This study aimed to explore palliative patients’ experiences of the radiotherapy process and to identify areas for improvement within the care pathway for this patient group. Material/Methods: Following treatment preparations, patients were contacted by telephone for inclusion in the study. Eligible patients were adults ( ≥ 18 years) with sufficient cognitive capacity and prescribed palliative pain- relieving radiotherapy (1–5 fractions). Both uncomplicated and complicated bone metastases were included [1,2]. After their first fraction, patients were asked to provide a consent form and complete The Radiotherapy Experience Questionnaire [3]. Mann-Whitney tests were used to determine if there was a difference in the answer of the patients and the type of treatment machine they were treated at. Results: A total of 177 patients were included (38% women, 62% men), mean age 71 (range 27–93) years. Patients had one to three treatment targets and were treated using either the Radixact (n=11) or TrueBeam (n=166) systems. Six patients did not complete the RTEQ evaluation. No significant differences were observed between Radixact and TrueBeam regarding pain experienced during treatment or the degree of perceived confinement (p>0.05). Patients treated with Radixact reported slightly more pain when rising after treatment (p=0.28, fig.1.); however, given the small number of patients treated with Radixact, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Overall, patients reported feeling safe, relaxed, and calm during treatment (fig.2.), despite the relatively briefly interaction with RTTs. The results indicate that providing more information regarding the management of side effects and the treatment
questionnaire was not designed for this specific clinical indication; therefore, patients were asked to comment in the free text section of any differences in experience between oART fractions and back-up IGRT treatments (if any). Results: In a 5-month period 10 patients were treated; a total of 205 oART fractions (82%) and 40 IGRT fractions were delivered (18%). Patients found the oART treatment tolerable, did not require more information before commencing treatment and understood the aim of the procedure well (Figure 1)
Four patients shared additional comments in the free text box regarding differences noticed between oART (referred to in comments as “new” and “longer” treatment) and backup IGRT (referred to in comments as “short” and “fast” treatment). These comments focused on patient reported side effects; the differences they experienced and how they managed these side effects. Along with differences in the modified bladder filling protocol. (Figure 2)
Conclusion: To conclude, patient experience of oART on radixact is positive and patients tolerated oART well. The questionnaire is useful to capture patient reported experience, however as it is not site specific some results were mixed. The questionnaire is being redesigned to capture relevant responses for different indications which will help provide greater insights. References: 1. Royalmarsden.nhs.uk. (2025). The Royal Marsden becomes the first hospital in the world to use online adaptive radiotherapy technology from RaySearch Laboratories | The Royal Marsden. [online] Available at: https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/news-and- events/news/royal-marsden-becomes-first-hospital- world-use-online-adaptive-radiotherapy. (Accessed 17 October 2025)2.Barnes, H., McNair, H et al. (2021). Development and results of a patient-reported
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