Table 4.
Pain evaluation in patients (N = 167) with painful bone metastases treated with palliative radiotherapy*†
| No. (%) of patients at week |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain response after palliative radiation therapy | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| VAS | pain score | VAS | pain score | VAS | pain score | VAS | pain score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worse pain | 29 (22) | 23 (17.4) | 19 (18.4) | 12 (11.7) | 16 (20.3) | 7 (8.9) | 14 (20.6) | 10 (14.7) |
| No change | 33 (25) | 41 (31.1) | 20 (19.4) | 23 (22.3) | 13 (16.5) | 18 (22.8) | 12 (17.6) | 12 (17.6) |
| Partial pain relief | 70 (53) | 59 (44.7) | 63 (61.2) | 54 (52.4) | 49 (62) | 41 (51.9) | 41 (60.3) | 41 (60.3) |
| Complete pain relief | 9 (6.8) | 1 (1) | 14 (13.6) | 1 (1.3) | 13 (16.5) | 1 (1.5) | 5 (7.4) | |
| valid | 132 | 103 | 79 | 68 | ||||
| missing | 35 | 64 | 88 | 99 |
*Pain score = pain severity score × pain frequency score. Pain severity (no pain = 0, mild pain = 1, moderate pain = 2, severe pain = 3). Pain frequency (never pain = 0, occasional pain [less than once daily] = 1, intermittent pain [at least once daily] = 2, constant pain = 3). Pain score was defined as complete pain relief = pain score of 0, partial pain relief = pain score decrease ≥ one point, no change = pain score stable before and after treatment, worse pain = pain score increase ≥ one point. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was defined as complete pain relief = VAS score of 0. Partial pain relief = pain reduction ≥2 points at the treated site without analgesic increase, or as analgesic reduction ≥25% from baseline without worsening of pain. No change = VAS was identical when compared with the baseline. Worse pain = VAS increased. VAS and pain score estimate perceived pain in relation to pre-treatment status and, therefore, pre-treatment data were not recorded. Patients with complete or partial pain relief in VAS and/or pain score were considered as showing pain response.
†Significant or borderline-significant differences in VAS score were found between week 2 and week 4 (P = 0.042), week 6 (P = 0.009), and week 8 (P = 0.063). Non-significant differences were found between week 4 and week 6, week 4 and week 8, between week 6 and week 8. Significant or borderline-significant differences in pain score were found between week 2 and week 4 (P = 0.005), week 6 (P = 0.046), and week 8 (P = 0.086), between week 4 and week 6, week 4 and week 8. Non-significant differences were found between week 6 and week 8.