Once-a-Week Ablative Radiotherapy as Replacement of Prolonged Fractionation in Frail Patients: Feasibility and Toxicity Results

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this work was to explore the use of an original once-weekly radiotherapy fractionation in elderly or frail patients with recurrence or metastasis from different solid malignancies.

Material and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 29 patients treated from 2011 to 2019 with a once-weekly radiotherapy schedule. Patients received a median dose of 27.5 Gy, with weekly fractions of 4-5 Gy over 7-10 weeks. The treatment aimed at both palliative and cytoreductive objectives. Primary endpoints were feasibility and compliance, secondary outcome was acute toxicity.

Results: All patients completed the planned radiotherapy without interruptions. Acute toxicity was mild, with only one patient developing grade 3 toxicity (bowel perforation). Three months post-treatment, 74% of patients experienced symptom relief and tumor response. One-year local control rates were 26.7%, and treatment was generally well-tolerated.

Conclusion: This once-weekly hypofractionated radiotherapy regimen demonstrated feasibility, good tolerance, and promising tumor response in frail and elderly patients. Although limited by a small sample size, the approach offers a practical alternative for patients unable to undergo conventional daily radiotherapy. Further studies on larger cohorts are required to validate these findings.

Keywords: Hypofractionated radiotherapy; frail patient; radiobiology.