Int. J. Dev. Biol. 48: 599 - 606 (2004)
Special Issue: Invasion in Cancer and Embryonic Development
Pain control by ionizing radiation of bone metastasis
Published: 1 September 2004
Abstract
Pain treatment due to cancer is a large fraction of the care in a radiotherapy department. While radiation treatment is very effective in reducing pain, the pathophysiology of bone metastases remains very complex. Reducing the number of tumour cells by radiation will reduce the pressure in bone marrow, but the very rapid response to radiation treatment seen in some patients is probably related to the presence of highly radiosensitive inflammatory cells. In this review we give an overview of the pathophysiological mechanisms which lead to pain associated with bone metastasis and the impact of radiation treatment and other treatments on this mechanism.
Keywords
bone metastasis, pain control, radiation therapy, pathophysiology