Computed Tomography-based Rigidity Analysis Affects Treatment Plan for Skeletal Metastasis

Abstract

The skeleton is the third most common site of metastatic cancer and a third to half of all cancers metastasize to bone. Most clinicians make subjective assessments regarding fracture risk using methods now recognized to be inaccurate. We have previously demonstrated that Computed Tomography-based Rigidity Analysis (CTRA) is more accurate than current clinical and radiographic criteria at predicting in vivo an ex vivo pathologic fractures. A multi-center prospective study was conducted to identify predictors of physicians' treatment plan for skeletal metastasis using clinical fracture risk assessments (Mirels score) compared to CTRA.