title: Elderly patients with painful bone metastases should be offered palliative radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of palliative radiotherapy (RT) in relieving metastatic bone pain in elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The response to RT for palliation of metastatic bone pain was evaluated from a prospective database of 558 patients between 1999 and 2008. The pain scores and analgesic intake were used to calculate the response according to the International Bone Metastases Consensus Working Party palliative RT endpoints. Subgroup analyses for age and other demographic information were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference was found in the response rate in patients aged >or=65, >or=70, and >or=75 years compared with younger patients at 1, 2, or 3 months after RT. The response was found to be significantly related to the performance status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age alone did not affect the response to palliative RT for bone metastases. Elderly patients should be referred for palliative RT for their painful bone metastases, regardless of age, because they receive equal benefit from the treatment.
authors.affiliation: Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program, Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Roseanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Presutti
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salvo
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hird
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Danjoux
authors.forename: Arjun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahgal
authors.forename: Gunita
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mitera
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DeAngelis
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Napolskikh
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics