The effectiveness of radiation therapy in the treatment of bone metastases from breast cancer.

The authors studied 75 patients with 158 areas of bone metastases from breast cancer treated by radiation therapy. The treatment regimen used was usually 2000 to 2500 rads delivered over a period of 2 weeks. Both subjective and objective responses were evaluated. This dose schedule proved to be highly effective in symptomatic relief and in healing osteolytic lesions; various levels of pain relief for about one year were observed in 96% (151/158 treatment areas), and radiographic evidence of recalcification was observed in 78% (73/94 treatment areas examined by serial radiography). After cases from previous studies were incorporated, the subjective response rate of the overall group was 91% (191/212) for a mean duration of 12 months, and the objective response rate was 75% (151/202) for a mean duration of 9 months.