COMBINED-MODALITY TREATMENT OF BONE METASTASES - RESPONSE OF THE RHABDOMYOSARCOMA R1H OF THE RAT TO POSTOPERATIVE IRRADIATION COMBINED WITHLOCAL RELEASE OF DAUNORUBICIN FROM ACRYLIC CEMENT

Reconstruction techniques for pathological fractures caused by bone me tastases often include acrylic cement to stabilise defects. The aim of this study was to test in a rodent model, whether outcome could be im proved by local chemotherapy from an anticancer drug added to the acry lic cement. Tumour excision 17 days after transplantation into the fem ur was followed by fractionated irradiation. Supplementation of acryli c cement with daunorubicin led to a considerable reduction of TCD37% f rom 72.9 Gy (62.2-82.8) to 29.3 Gy (21.8-37.5) (P = 0.0007). Local che motherapy diffusing from bone cement combined with postoperative radio therapy was highly effective in the experimental system studied. (C) 1 998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.