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Radiotherapy as a palliative intervention for painful bone metastases has long been considered a standard of care. Randomized trials in Europe and the U.S. have provided level-1 evidence that single-fraction therapy is as effective as longer courses for relieving pain in patients with uncomplicated bone metastases. Now, investigators have used Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare data linked to longitudinal Medicare claims to assess whether single-fraction radiotherapy has been incorporated into the routine management of men with metastatic prostate cancer.
The study involved 3050 patients ≥65 years of age (median age, 78) with bone metastases from prostate cancer who received radiotherapy from 2006 to 2009. Patients were clas…