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[Radiotherapy in the management of painful bone metastases at The National Institute of Oncology in Morocco: data from one year follow-up of 86 patients].

BACKGROUND
Radiation therapy plays an essential role in the management of pain caused by bone metastases Objectives: Evaluate the effect of radiation for the relief of pain caused by bone metastases.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective study of 86 patients suffering from pain associated with bone metastases treated at our department by external radiotherapy between September 2010 and December 2011. Patients recorded pain severity in the numeric rating scale and analgesic requirements before, at the end of irradiation, then weekly for a month, and every month for a year.


RESULTS
The median age of patients was 54 years (28-75 years). There were 45 (52.3%) women and 41 (47.7%) men. Radiotherapy was delivered in a multifraction schedule to a total dose of 30 Gy in 72% of patients or in a single fraction of 8 Gy in 28% of patients. A favorable analgesic response was observed in 59 (68.6%) patients with 8 (9.3%) complete responses and 51 (59.3%) partial responses. The median time-to-response was 2 weeks (0-7 weeks), and the median duration of pain relief was 22 weeks (9-46 weeks).


CONCLUSION
Radiotherapy is effective in relieving pain associated with bone metastases in the majority of patients.