A shift from simple to sophisticated: using intensity-modulated radiation therapy in conventional nonstereotactic palliative radiotherapy.

Consistent with historical technology shifts in RT practice, the uptake of highly conformal techniques such as IMRT for conventional palliative RT will likely outpace rigorous evaluations of their advantages and disadvantages relative to simpler techniques. Opportunities exist in virtually all anatomic sites for observational and randomized studies to evaluate the clinical impacts of these modern techniques in the palliative setting.