Clinical results of 89Sr-Chloride application for treatment of bone metastasis

Full text: One of the latest developments in nuclear medicine is the use of radionuclide for the treatment of bone metastasis from prostate, breast or lung cancer in order to decrease pain and improve the quality of patient life. A clinical study was done to evaluate the affectiveness of Sr-89 Chloride (METASTRON) either separately or accompanied with external radiotherapy. 52 patients of prostate carcinoma with bone metastasis seen on bone scan and suffering from severe pain, were given a dose of 4 mCi Sr-89 intravenously with or without external local therapy. It was noted that all patients showed decrease of pain 2-3 weeks after dose application and decrease the need for analgesics, slow progress of disease. No more metastases were detected on bone scan and no new painful points were noticed clinically. Also there was no need for external local radiotherapy. Tumor markers; as PSA and alkaline phosphatase, were decreased after treatment with Sr-89 Chloride. Analysis of patients' life quality showed an increase in the ability to work and physical activity due to pain relief. Haematological toxicity of the Sr-89 chloride was moderate and seen as a decrease in WBC and thrombocytes count which returned to basic level after a short period of time. (author)