[Pain control for bone metastasis using radioactive strontium]

Palliative therapy using radioactive strontium (89Sr) was performed on 60 patients suffering from cancer. Seventy-one percent of the patients had stopped or reduced their opiates and/or analgesics. Pain relief continued for up to three months. Patients with breast and prostatic cancer showed the best pain reduction. However, pain reduction was limited for lung cancer patients. Repeated usage of 89Sr with/without opiate and analgesics served to maintain the reduced level of pain. Side effects of repeated usage of 89Sr were decrease of hemoglobin, WBC, and platelets. The decreased level was limited within Level 1. The indication of 89Sr therapy is important. DIC cases and renal failure cases will have increased side effect risk. Image diagnosis is also important. A bone scan is a minimum requirement. Poor accumulation of 99mTc-MDP cases are not indication. Rapidly progressive disease cases, radiculopathy cases, and soft tissue invasion cases should not be given 89Sr therapy. At present, the uses of 89Sr are limited to end-stage patients. The use of 89Sr should change from end stage to early stage in combination with chemotherapy.