Background:

Bone metastases are a common manifestation of many malignancies. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) provides successful palliation of painful bone metastases. In the present study, we compared three schedules of palliative EBRT in painful bony metastasis.

Objective:

To evaluate pain relief and performance status improvement in these patients.

Method:

This prospective, study was conducted on patients of painful bone metastases from any primary. Patients were randomly divided into three groups to received palliative EBRT either 6Gy single-session (group-I), or 8Gy single-session (group-II) or 10Gy/2-fractions/1-week apart (group-III) to the involved site. Primary objective was to assess overall pain response, assessed using Glasgow pain scale and improvement in performance status, assessed using Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score. Secondary objectives measured were complete pain relief, duration of overall pain response, analgesic requirement and need of re-irradiation.

Results:

A total of 60-patients were equally randomized into 3 groups.

Conclusion:

Pain relief was observed maximum in group-III. In all three groups, mean baseline pain score was significantly reduced, and mean ECOG performance status improve 1-month post-EBRT.

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