Radiation Therapy for Asymptomatic Bone Metastases

Skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with cancer metastases to bone can be reduced by 10% to 20% with bone-modifying agents (e.g., bisphosphonates). Although radiation therapy is used to palliate painful bone metastases, data regarding its use in the asymptomatic setting are limited.

In this multicenter, phase 2 clinical trial, investigators compared prophylactic radiation therapy against standard of care for high-risk, asymptomatic bone metastases. Seventy-eight adults with widely metastatic solid tumor malignancies and 122 bone metastases were randomized to receive radiation therapy or standard of care (systemic therapy or observation). The most common primary cancers were lung (27%), breast (24%), and prostate (22%). The trial's pri…