ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S1923

Clinical - Mixed sites, palliation

ESTRO 2024

1 Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), Alma Mater Studiorum - Bologna University, Bologna, Italy. 2 Radiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy. 3 Radiotherapy Department, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Department of Clinical Oncology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 4 Department of Radiation Oncology, United Hospital Limited, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 5 Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, Italy. 6 IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST), "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy. 7 Medical Physics Unit, Gemelli Molise Hospital-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Campobasso, Italy. 8 Medical Oncology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Purpose/Objective:

Palliative radiotherapy (RT) is recognized for its effectiveness in alleviating pain in patients with bone metastases (BMs). Numerous clinical trials, often conducted in high-income countries (HICs), have demonstrated the comparable efficacy of single-fraction RT versus multi-fractionated RT. However, the evidence is limited for low/middle-income countries (LMICs), where BM diagnosis may occur later, and RT techniques may be less advanced. Consequently, we conducted a systematic literature review to assess the efficacy of palliative RT for BMs in the LMICs context.

Material/Methods:

Following PRISMA guidelines, two authors independently conducted a literature search on PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases. Out of 333 records screened, only 11 papers met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis.

Results:

Complete pain response rates for single-fraction RT ranged from 0.0% to 37.1% (median: 22.5%), while those for multi-fractionated RT ranged from 0% to 43% (median: 20.1%). Partial pain response rates for single-fraction RT ranged from 23.6% to 76.9% (median: 56.5%), and for multi-fractionated RT, they ranged from 24.7% to 84.6% (median: 55.3%) (see Table 1). Four randomized trials compared single-fraction RT with multiple-fraction RT, and none of them revealed significant differences in terms of pain relief.