Palliative Radiotherapy for Painful Bone Metastases, Single versus Multiple Fraction Treatment: A Literature Review

Abstract

Background and purpose Palliative radiotherapy provides pain relief for patients with painful bone metastases. The practice among radiation oncologists as to whether a large single fraction is most effective, or whether multiple smaller fractions are preferable in providing the quickest, most durable pain relief is inconsistent. Material and methods A literature review was completed to see if there is consensus about whether there is better pain response and control following single versus multiple fraction radiotherapy. The Pub Med search engine was used to find all reported studies comparing single and multiple fraction radiotherapy for painful bone metastases. Each article was reviewed according to specific criteria. A generalized conclusion was ascertained from each study and then compared. Results Among the studies reviewed, the consensus concluded that single fraction radiotherapy was the better choice for palliation of painful bone metastases Conclusions According to the literature reviewed, single fraction radiotherapy provides adequate pain relief with reasonable duration of pain response.