Recommended treatment for bone metastases not widely used

“Palliative radiotherapy, comprising l or more fractions (i.e., treatments) of daily radiation, is the mainstay of treatment for painful bone metastases. In 2005, a U.S.-based randomized trial demonstrated no difference in pain relief between single- and multiple-fraction radiotherapy for uncomplicated bone metastases, confirming results from international trials,” according to background information in the article appearing in the October 9 issue of JAMA.

As reported in the Research Letter, the authors selected patients age 65 years or older with prostate cancer and bone metastases and subsequent courses of radiotherapy from January 2006 through December 2009 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database. For each patient, the researchers identified the initial outpatient course of radiotherapy following the first diagnosis of bone metastasis (index course) and determined the dates and number of radiotherapy fractions based on Medicare claims for radiation delivery (Medicare reimburses each radiotherapy fraction individually).

Of 3,050 patients included in the study, 3.3 percent had single-fraction radiotherapy and 50.3 percent received more than 10 fractions. Average 45-day radiotherapy-related expenditures were a relative 62 percent lower for patients treated with single relative to multiple fractions ($1,873 for single vs. $4,967 for multiple fractions).

“Despite evidence demonstrating comparable pain relief for single-fraction treatment, only 3.3 percent of Medicare beneficiaries with bone metastases from prostate cancer received single-fraction treatment. Patients who received single-fraction radiotherapy had poorer prognoses, perhaps reflecting the perception that single-fraction treatment should be reserved for patients with limited life expectancy or poor performance status. However, single-fraction treatment has substantial benefits for patient-centric palliative care, including greater quality of life and convenience, reduced travel time, and lower treatment costs,” the authors conclude.