Table 4.
A summary of articles using assessment tools other than the Brief Pain Inventory, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, or European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer measurements.
| Article authors (year) | Population and time of accrual | Assessment Tool | Questionnaire Administration | Responders | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert et al. (1977) | 1970–1973 | Level 1 – Ability to care for most personal needs | Baseline and once every three months for one year or until death | 74% achieved local pain free at 3 months | [20] |
| Patients treated with radiation for bone metastases | QOL considered “good” in 63%, meaning they were relatively pain free, could ambulate | ||||
| N=158 | Level 2 – Require major help in self-care | ||||
| Gaze et al. (1997) | Feb 1988–May 1993 | Hospital Anxiety and Depression, Spitzer׳s QOL Index | Baseline, week 1,weeks 3–4, and every 2 months post treatment | Prevalence of anxiety and depression decreased for both schedules | [3] |
| Patients treated with radiation for painful bone metastases, comparing a single 10 Gy treatment or 22.5 Gy/5 | Quality of life improved for both schedules | ||||
| N=200 and 209 for Hospital Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire and Spitzer׳s Index, respectively | |||||
| Nielsen et al. (1998) | Jan 1989–Dec 1994 | Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and 5 point categorical pain scale, global QOL, and analgesic consumption | Baseline, and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 20 post treatment | At 4 weeks post treatment, similar improvement in VAS QOL seen in patients in both treatment arms with 20Gy/4 | [21] |
| Patients treated with radiation therapy for painful bone metastases randomized to be treated with 8 Gy/1 or 20 Gy/4 | |||||
| N=241 | |||||
| Salazar et al. (2001) | Mar 1996–Jan 31, 1999 | Net pain relief as designed by RTOG (divide pain free survival time by overall survival, then multiple by 100%= remaining life % spent pain free without retreatment) | Undefined | 91% achieved some response, 45% achieved complete response | [22] |
| Patients treated with half-body radiation for painful bone metastases, randomized to receive 15Gy in 5 fractions in 5 days, 8Gy in 2 fractions in 1 day, and 12Gy in 4 fractions in 2 days | QOL assessed using net pain relief concept | Average net pain relief= 71% | |||
| N=156 | Improvement in initial performance status and narcotic use, and as a result, improvement in QOL for patients randomized to the first and third radiation schedules | ||||