Topics:
Radiation Oncology • Palliation
When would you recommend radiation therapy for an asymptomatic pathologic fracture in a vertebral body?
Would your recommendation change based on disease extent? What other factors would you consider?
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
I agree with Dr. @Simul Parikh. What you may be describing here is the finding of an incidental bone metastasis in a preexisting osteoporotic fracture, since bones that fracture due to cancer are generally extensively infiltrated by tumor, and in my experience these are often not painless. However, ...
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Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Community Practice
I've had this same question since I started practicing just over 10 years ago and I've done a significant literature search. There is almost no data supporting this in actual patients, but there is some radiobiological data indicating that radiation may induce bone healing. However, we do know that ...