Assessment of the early analgesic effect of strontium 89 isotope treatment

Introduction
The growing number of patients with malignant neoplasms also results in an increase in the number of patients suffering from bone metastases. After the liver and lungs, bones are the third most common location for metastasis. Among the therapies that may reduce the patient’s pain and thus increase the quality of life, the administration of the strontium 89 (89Sr) isotope should be mentioned. The isotope strontium 89 was used for the first time in 1941. It was the subject of many studies in which the effectiveness of treating pain caused by bone metastases was confirmed. The aim of the study was to assess the early analgesic effects of bone metastases treatment with the use of isotope 89Sr.

Material and methods
It was retrospective study. 16 isotope administrations were analyzed in 12 patients qualified for 89Sr treatment due to severe pain from bone metastases. In analysed group there were also rare cases of bone dissemination from palatine tonsil cancer, cervical cancer and uterine sarcoma.

Results
There was statistical significance in pain decrease after treatment. The effectiveness of analgesic treatment in our own material was 93.75% of the conducted therapies.

Conclusions
Proven high analgesic efficacy and the availability of treatment under the National Health Fund should prompt physicians to consider more frequent use of this method in patients with painful bone metastases.