PAIN FIGURES ARE UNSUITABLE FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PALLIATIVE RADIOTHERAPY PORTALS IN PATIENTS WITH HORMONE-REFRACTORY PROSTATIC-CANCER

We aimed to compare bone scintigraphy with pain extension and other qu ality of life (QoL) factors in order to evaluate QoL and the appropria teness of using pain figures and a subjective pain description as the basis for palliative radiotherapy (RT) portals. Twenty-three patients with progressive hormone-refractory prostatic adenocarcinoma were inve stigated with bone scintigraphy and completed pain figures, VAS (visua l anlogue scales) and a comprehensive self-questionnaire concerning Qo L. The Soloway score was significantly correlated with Impaired overal l QoL (p=0.05), and especially with questions regarding restriction of movements (p=0.001). Weight bearing regions were significantly mole o ften affected at bone scintigraphy than other locations in the group o f patients reporting incidental pain during exercise. Surprisingly, a poor level of correlation existed wizen comparing location of pain wit h location of uptake on bone scintigraphy, even if an adjacent region was inducted in the comparison. The subjective description of pain ext ension in pain figures correlates poorly with the uptake patterns at b one scintigraphy - an interesting finding since pain extension is regu larly used for the definition of palliative RT portals. Furthermore, i t appeals that the tumour burden itself is not an indicator of the pai n score at rest, but affects aspects of QoL. Moreover; it would appeal as though the location of metastases in the skeleton significantly af fects physical quality of life aspects. It is probably more important to irradiate weight bearing regions of skeleton in older to increase Q oL.