ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of bone palliative therapy following administration of [153]Sm-EDTMP in patients with intractable metastatic bone pain. Sixteen patients [9 male, 7 female] aged 29-80 years [57.3 +/- 16.7 years] with severe metastasis-related bone pain resistant to analgesic medications were enrolled in the study. All patients having multiple bone metastases, positive bone scans, and estimated life expectancy of more than 2-3 months were entered the study. All patients received intravenous injection of 1.5 mCi [56 MBq]/kg of [153]Sm-EDTMP. Four subscales for the intensity of pain were recorded: one as the present pain score [PPS] and the other three as maximum pain score [Max PS], minimum pain score [Min PS] and average pain score [APS] over the last 24 hours. Also the mean value of these 4 subscales was calculated as the mean total pain score [MTPS]. The pain mental interference [PMI] was also assessed in 9 separate. Seven patients with breast cancer [43.75%], seven with prostate cancer [43.75%], one with papillary thyroid carcinoma [6.25%] and one with malignant paraganglioma [6.25%] were included in the study. A significant response to therapy, i.e. 2-point reduction in pain score and/or remarkable reduction [>/=25%] in the equivalent narcotic dose, was observed in 11 out of 16 patients [68.7%] by the 2nd week and in 12 patients [75%] by the 8[th] week. Regarding the palliative response to treatment and equivalent narcotic dose reduction, no significant difference between two major types of underlying malignancies [breast and prostate cancer] was found. There was no significant difference regarding response to therapy between two genders and among different age groups. The severity of bone marrow suppression was graded