INTRODUCTIONBone metastasis is common in prostate, breast, lung and renal cancers and can lead to complications like fractures, hypercalcaemia and bone pain, as well as reduced performance status and quality of life.1 A multidisciplinary approach is required to treat bone pain and its complicating factors. Currently, the treatment of bone pain remains palliative with systemic treatment (analgesics, hormones, chemotherapy, steroids, and bisphosphonates) for diffuse bone metastases and local treatment (surgery, nerve blocks, and external beam radiation) for focal bone metastasis.2 Many of these treatments are limited in their efficacy or duration and have significant side effects that seriously limit the cancer patient's quality of life.
ABSTRACTBackground: Bone pain is the most common symptom in advanced stages of malignancy and requires multidisciplinary approach for its treatment. Localized sites of involvement can be treated with surgery or external beam radiation, whereas radiopharmaceuticals, hormones, and chemotherapy are used to treat more diffuse bone involvement.