The palliation of symptomatic osseous metastases final results of the study by the radiation therapy oncology group

TLDR

The study evaluated various dose fractionation schedules to assess their palliative effectiveness for patients with bone metastases. Pain relief was quantified by its frequency, promptness, and duration. Ninety percent of patients had pain relief, 54% achieved complete relief, and low‑dose short‑course schedules were as effective as high‑dose protracted ones, with initial pain score and primary lesion site as key prognosticators; steroids or chemotherapy did not affect relief.

Abstract

Different dose fractionation irradiation schedules have been evaluated in a randomized Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) study to determine their palliative effectiveness in patients with osseous metastases. The frequency, promptness and duration of pain relief were utilized as measures of response. Ninety percent of patients experienced some relief of pain and 54% achieved eventual complete pain relief. Important prognosticators included the initial pain score and the site of the primary lesions. Administration of steroid or chemotherapy during the one-month on-study period did not influence the frequency of pain relief. The low-dose, short-course schedules were as effective as the high-dose protracted programs.