Objective: To investigate the efficacy of systemic administration of rhenium-186 hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (HEDP) and to evaluate the pain relief in patients with painful, multiloculated osteoblastic metastases primarily from hormon-re-sistant prostate cancer. Patients and methods: 20 men taking analgetics received one injection of 1295 MBq Re-186 HEDP for pain palliation due to disseminated osseous metastases. Evaluation of clinical response was assessed by the verbal rating scale (VRS), visual analogous scale (VAS) and need of pain medication. Bone marrow toxicity of the radiopharmaceutical was investigated also. Results: 75% (15/20) of the patients responded to Re-186 HEDP and as many as 5/15 responders became pain-free without any analgesic intake. Duration of clinical response averaged from 1 to 32 weeks (median: 5.5 weeks). Hemotoxicity was mild and reversible without therapy. Conclusion: Systemic Re-186 HEDP therapy appears to be a useful compound for palliation of painful osseous metastases and improves quality of life for men with advanced disseminated prostate cancer for the last remaining months of their life.

Keywords:
Advanced prostate cancer, Painful multiloculated bone metastases, Radionuclide therapy, Rhenium-186 HEDP, Pain relief, Quality of life
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© 1997 S. Karger AG, Basel
1997
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