Using a standard quantity of Re-186 HEDP, for therapy of osseous metastases
from carcinoma of the breast, Palmedo and associates reported leukocyte an
d thrombocyte responses at 4 and 8 weeks. These were analyzed by dividing r
esults into categories, based on the numeric initial values. Thrombocytes a
t 8 weeks exceeded pretreatment values in 10 of 18 cases, This "over-reboun
d" was also found in 7 of 19 leukocyte responses. The ability to predict th
rombocyte-leukocyte response, in most cases, was linked to the initial hema
tologic values, If coupled with data on the status of bone marrow, this may
allow the quantity of therapeutic radiopharmaceutical used to be increased
or decreased without irreversibly compromising hematopoietic responses.