Radiation therapy in the management of symptomatic bone metastases: the effect of total dose and histology on pain relief and response duration

A Systematic Overview of Radiation Therapy Effects in Skeletal Metastases

“…Excluding the results obtained of the 4 Gy single treatment, the mean rate of OPR was 84%. All studies, with exception of one non-randomized study (28), showed that OPR did not seem to depend on the fractionation schedules used (20 Á/27, 29 Á/32). The duration of OPR was reported in 9 out of the 13 studies.…”

A systematic review of evidence on malignant spinal metastases: natural history and technologies for identifying patients at high risk of vertebral fracture and spinal cord compression

“…A large number of prospective trials have investigated the effectiveness of external beam radiation therapy for palliation of pain or control of progression of osseous metastatic disease (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). Local radiotherapy plays an important role in the management of bone metastases (27).…”

“…Median survival in those who developed extraosseous metastasis was 1.6 years compared with the median survival of 2.1 years in those with no extraosseous metastasis (p < 0.001). 25 Ten-year survival in patients with early-stage breast cancer who are diagnosed early is approximately 85%, because of advances in combination therapy. 19 Those who survive are thought to go through repeated periods of remission and progression.…”

Metastasis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…They can cause pain and affect weight-bearing areas and consequently have a significant impact on quality of life. The role of radiotherapy in the palliation of bone metastases is well supported in the literature, with reported response rates of around 70-90% (Arcangeli, et al, 1998, Hoegler, 1997. The pain relief is complete in nearly half of the responders (Uppelschoten, et al, 1995) (Steenland, et al, 1999).…”