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Radiation therapy is effective for palliation of painful bone metastases, but defining the best treatment schedule has been a subject of considerable debate. Although single-fraction (SF) radiation can provide palliation that is cost-effective and timely, concerns have been raised that the degree of symptomatic relief achieved with this schedule might not be equivalent to that provided by multiple-fraction (MF) radiation. To address this question, investigators conducted a meta-analysis of several randomized trials in which SF and MF radiation were compared in patients with painful bone metastases.
The primary outcomes were complete response (CR) and overall response (OR). CR was defined as a pain score of zero at the treatment site, and par…