Abstract
Cancer mamma and skeletal metastases
Abstract written by Anne Ragnhild Kjus, H-00
Background: In human cancers, bone is a predominant site for metastases. It is well known that metastases cause morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. Breast cancer has a propensity to metastasize to bone. In Norway 2000 women developes breast cancer each year, and the mortality is 750-800 cases. 70% of them suffer from skeletal metastases and the management is palliativ, aimed at providing the highest quality of life at an acceptable risk. The treatment is multidiciplinary and involves analgesia, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and, in selected patients surgical stabilisation/intervention.
Patients and methods: Breast cancer patients treated with radiation therapy at The Norwegian Radiumhospital in year 2000 were included in this study involving 85 women in the age group 39-86 years. By reading their files up to 5 years follow up I collected information of survival time, pain before and after radiation therapy to columna metastases, need of new radiation therapy to a previously treated region i the skeleton and fractions of radiation (3Gy x 10, 8Gy x 1 or others). I also studied other sites of metastases and different kinds of treatment, not only radiation therapy.
Results: 73% of the patients received 3 Gy x 10 and 17% 8 Gy x 1. This made it difficult to compare the two groups separately, hence I treated them as one group. Only 6% of the patients were in need of re-radiation therapy in the same area in columna as they previously had recived radiation therapy. 54% of the patients had less pain from columna after radiation. 15% were alive when the study was terminated in February 2005. Only 21% of the women had columna as the only metastic site when they radiotherapy.