Clinical evaluation of combined-modality therapy for bone metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the therapeutic effects of single- and combined-modality therapy on bone metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer.

METHODS

Seventy patients with bone metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer were treated with one of the therapeutic modalities of radiotherapy, radioisotope, chemotherapy or medication with Bonefos respectively, while another 71 cases received combined-modality therapy through different combinations of the already listed modalities.

RESULTS

The single modality of radiotherapy, radioisotope, chemotherapy and Bonefos had similar efficacy in treating the bone metastasis cases, which were 55.0%, 56.2%, 42.1% and 53.3% respectively, with a total efficacy rate of 51.4%. Combined-modality therapy proved to be much superior in terms of the total efficacy rate (76.0%, P <0.05), but the blood and the gastrointestinal toxicity was not significantly reduced as compared with that in single-modality group (P >0.05).

CONCLUSION

The combined- modality therapy is more effective for treating bone metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer than single-modality therapy.