Long-Term Results of Dose-Intensified Fractionated Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Painful Spinal Metastases.

PURPOSE

To report long-term outcome of fractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for painful spinal metastases.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This prospective, single-arm, multicenter phase 2 clinical trial enrolled 57 patients with 63 painful, unirradiated spinal metastases between March 2012 and July 2015. Patients were treated with 48.5 Gy in 10 SBRT fractions (long life expectancy [Mizumoto score ≤4]) or 35 Gy in 5 SBRT fractions (intermediate life expectancy [Mizumoto score 5-9]). Pain response was defined as pain improvement of a minimum of 2 points on a visual analog scale, and net pain relief was defined as the sum of time with pain response (complete and partial) divided by the overall follow-up time.

RESULTS

All 57 patients received treatment per protocol; 32 and 25 patients were treated with 10- and 5-fraction SBRT, respectively. The median follow-up of living patients was 60 months (range, 33-74 months). Of evaluable patients, 82% had complete or partial pain response (responders) at 3 months' follow-up (primary endpoint), and pain response remained stable over 5 years. Net pain relief was 74% (95% CI, 65%-80%). Overall survival rates of 1, 3, and 5 years were 59.6% (95% CI, 47%-72%), 33.3% (95% CI, 21%-46%), and 21% (95% CI, 10%-32%), respectively. Freedom from local spinal-metastasis progression was 82% at the last imaging follow-up. Late grade-3 toxicity was limited to pain in 2 patients (nonresponders). There were no cases of myelopathy. SBRT resulted in long-term improvements of all dimensions of the 5-level EuroQol 5-Dimension Questionnaire except anxiety/depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Fractionated SBRT achieved durable pain response and improved quality of life at minimum late toxicity.