Retreatment with radiotherapy for painful bone metastases.

Abstract

To evaluate the response to reirradiation of painful bone metastases following initial treatment with radiotherapy. A retrospective analysis of 105 consecutive patients treated with palliative radiotherapy for painful bone metastases. A total of 280 individual treatment sites were identified, of which 57 were retreated once and 8 were retreated twice. The overall response rate to initial treatment was 84% for pain relief, and at first retreatment this was 87%. Seven of eight patients retreated a second time also achieved pain relief. No relation to radiation dose, primary tumor type, or site was seen. In patients relapsing after radiotherapy to painful bone metastases who have responded initially, reirradiation can be recommended with a similar probability of response.