Treatment of metastatic bone pain with repeated doses of strontium-89 in patients with prostate neoplasm

This study has aimed to evaluate the usefulness of repeated treatment with 89Sr in patients with prostate neoplasm and metastatic bone pain. Seventeen patients with partial or complete response after the first dose were retreated with two or more doses (total of 39 doses). The Karnofsky functional status, pain and degree of analgesia were assessed. After the first dose the response was good in 68% of the patients and partial in 32%. After the second dose, the response was good in 62% of the patients, partial in 15% and there was no response in 23% of the cases. The pre-treatment Karnofsky functional status and duration of the effect of 89Sr was lower after the second dose (p = 0.03, p = 0.02), but there were no statistically significant differences in the type of response. In conclusion, re-treatment with 89Sr can be administered safely and with a similar response to that achieved after the first dose.