Elderly patients with painful bone metastases should be offered palliative radiotherapy.
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.
Campos
Sarah
S
Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program, Department of Radiation Oncology, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Presutti
Roseanna
R
Zhang
Liying
L
Salvo
Nadia
N
Hird
Amanda
A
Tsao
May
M
Barnes
Elizabeth A
EA
Danjoux
Cyril
C
Sahgal
Arjun
A
Mitera
Gunita
G
Sinclair
Emily
E
DeAngelis
Carlo
C
Nguyen
Janet
J
Napolskikh
Julie
J
Chow
Edward
E
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*
D000700:Analgesics