Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
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Comparative Study
Prospective patient-based assessment of effectiveness of palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases.
The primary objective of this report is to prospectively evaluate pain control provided by palliative radiotherapy for all irradiated patients with bone metastases by using their own assessments. ⋯ The response rate in our patient population is comparable with those reported in clinical trials. This is important when counselling our patients on the expected effectiveness of radiotherapy outside of clinical trials. Our observations confirm the generalizability of the trials conducted to date. While randomized trials still remain the gold standard of research, observational studies can serve as useful adjuncts to randomized trials to confirm the efficacy and guide the design of new controlled trials.