Usefulness of palliative radiotherapy in reducing the frequency of red blood cell transfusion in patients with malignant tumor bleeding.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of palliative radiotherapy in reducing the frequency of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in patients with malignant tumor bleeding as a quantitative value to evaluate the hemostatic effect.

Materials and methods: In this study, we conducted a retrospective review of patients visiting our department between June 2013 and April 2021. All patients underwent RBC transfusions for 30 days before the initiation of radiotherapy. We determined the overall survival (OS) time and RBC transfusion-free (RBCTF) time using statistical tests.

Results: In total, 21 patients were enrolled in our study, including 13 women and 8 men; the median patient age was 63 years (range: 32-82 years). After radiotherapy, 19 of the 21 patients had a decreased frequency of requirement for RBC transfusion compared to that before radiotherapy. Fourteen patients had achieved an RBCTF state 1 month after radiotherapy. The estimated 1-year OS and RBCTF rates were 36.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.2%) and 66.7% (95% CI: 42.5%-42.5%), respectively.

Conclusion: The present study revealed a reduction in RBC transfusion after palliative radiotherapy in patients with malignant tumor bleeding. We believe that reducing the frequency of blood transfusions in patients with terminal conditions would have significant clinical benefits.