Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. May 15, 2024; 16(5): 2261-2263
Published online May 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i5.2261
Hemostatic radiotherapy for bleeding gastrointestinal tumors
Vrushab Rao, Soumya Singh, Bhooshan Zade
Vrushab Rao, Soumya Singh, Bhooshan Zade, Department of Cyberknife Radiosurgery and Radiation Oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune 411001, Maharashtra, India
Author contributions: Rao V contributed to review of the preliminary article for which the letter has been addressed, conceptualization, writing, editing, and proofreading of the manuscript; Singh S contributed to review of the preliminary article for which the letter has been addressed, conceptualization, writing, editing, and proofreading of the manuscript; Zade B contributed to conceptualization, editing, and proofreading of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: Https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Vrushab Rao, MBBS, Doctor, Department of Cyberknife Radiosurgery and Radiation Oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, 40 Sassoon Road, Pune 411001, Maharashtra, India. raovrushab@gmail.com
Received: December 30, 2023
Peer-review started: December 30, 2023
First decision: February 18, 2024
Revised: February 20, 2024
Accepted: March 27, 2024
Article in press: March 27, 2024
Published online: May 15, 2024
Processing time: 131 Days and 2.9 Hours
Abstract

Hemostatic radiotherapy is a non-invasive treatment for bleeding gastrointestinal (GI) tumors, promoting tumor shrinkage, blood supply reduction, and fibrotic tissue formation. It is effective in cases where traditional interventions are insufficient or contraindicated and can prevent recurrent bleeding in patients with GI bleeding histories. Hypofractionation schedules are also effective for tumor control and patient compliance.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal tumors; Hemostatic radiotherapy; Palliative radiotherapy; Acute bleeding; Hypofractionation

Core Tip: Hemostatic radiotherapy (RT), a non-invasive approach, is used in bleeding gastrointestinal (GI) tumors to induce tumor shrinkage and diminish blood supply. This therapy reduces tumor size, seals ruptured blood vessels and reduces bleeding. It also fosters fibrotic tissue formation and enhances platelet adhesion to the vascular endothelium. Hemostatic RT is particularly relevant when traditional interventions are insufficient or contraindicated, and can prevent recurrent bleeding in patients with a history of GI bleeding tumors. The optimal dose fractionation for hemostatic RT is debated, but hypofractionation schedules have proven effective for tumor control and patient compliance.