ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical value of (89)SrCl(2) (Ke xing Inc, Shanghai) as a palliative therapy modality for cancer patients with bone metastasis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In 504 cancer patients with painful limitation of movement due to bony metastasis, a dose of 1.48-2.22 MBq/kg (40-60 uCi/kg) iv infusion of (89)SrCl(2) was given.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 97 patients (19.2%) there was no improvement in pain and life quality, 298 patients (59.1%) showed mild to moderate improvement (moderately effective), 109 patients (21.6%) became free of pain and were subsequently fully ambulatory (markedly effective). The pain relief appeared from D1-D46 after (89)SrCl(2) administration, most frequently from D5-D14. The palliative effect could last for about 56 days to 13 months. Repeated bone scans of some patients showed that the metastatic foci in the bone became smaller or even disappeared gradually after the administration of (89)SrCl(2). Approximately 55% of patients experienced grade I approximately III bone marrow depression attributable to (89)SrCl(2), which would return to the pre-treatment level within 3 approximately 9 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>(89)SrCl(2) is effective and safe for the relief of bone pain and improvement of quality of life in cancer patients with painful bony metastasis.</p>