Clinical oncology : a journal of the Royal College of Radiologists
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The results of previous randomised controlled trials suggest that radiation oncologists should consider the presence of neuropathic pain when they prescribe dose fractionations for painful bone metastases. Although validated screening tools for neuropathic pain features are currently available, the prevalence of such features among patients with painful bone metastases is still poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of neuropathic pain features among patients who received palliative radiotherapy for painful bone metastases. ⋯ A considerable proportion of the patients were proven to have bone pain with neuropathic features. Further investigations are warranted to validate symptom assessment tools in cooperation with pain distribution and image findings, and to clarify if the presence of neuropathic pain affects the response to palliative radiotherapy.