[Drug therapy with disodium clodronate combined with radiotherapy of bone metastasis of solid tumors].

The largest portion of a radiation oncologist's practice is aimed at the palliative treatment of bone metastases. This trial investigated the impact of disodiumclodronate on radiation therapy results. Two groups of patients with bone metastases were compared: one (176 patients) treated by radiation therapy alone, the other (242 patients) by combined radiotherapy and disodiumclodronate. The evaluated parameters were changes in the volume of bone destruction, pain rating, performance status scale, and percentage of disease progression, as they appeared on pre and post-irradiation CT scans. In the disodiumclodronate group, a significant improvement was observed in the bone metastases from breast, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancers. As for bone metastases from urinary and gastro-intestinal cancers, disodiumclodronate did not prove to be much effective in improving radiation therapy results. Independent of primary tumor location, disodiumclodronate had a marked protective effect on both local disease progression and appearance of new lytic areas. In our experience, response duration was directly correlated with the actual time of disodiumclodronate administration. Toxicity was minimal, which makes it probable for disodiumclodronate to become an important adjunct to bone radiation therapy.