[Half-body irradiation in the palliative treatment of multiple bone metastases]

The authors used as palliative analgetic treatment half-body irradiation in 13 patients with dissemination of a malignant tumour into bones. In six patients both halves of the body were irradiated. A long-term analgetic effect was observed in five patients (in one female patient more than 400 days, four patients 100-150 days), a short-term effect up to 100 days was recorded in six patients. The pain was not influenced in two patients. Mitigation of pain increased the patients' performance: according to the WHO scale in one case by 3 grades, in three patients by 2 grades, in six patients by 1 grade. The performance of three patients was not affected by irradiation. Side-effects of treatment were controlled by means of supporting treatment. They did not threaten life in any of the patients. The authors consider half-body irradiation an effective and useful analgetic treatment of multiple metastases into the bones.