Radiation Therapy in Combination with Magnetotherapy for Painful Bone Metastases in Patients with Breast Cancer

Objective. To assess the results of treatment involving radiation in combination with magnetotherapy for painful bone metastases in patients with breast cancer.
Material and methods. The paper presents data from a prospective study of treatment in 163 patients with bone metastases from breast cancer (a control group included 83 patients; a study group consisted of 80 patients). The metastases were more often localized in the vertebrae. Only radiation therapy was used in the control group and was combined with vortex magnetic field magnetotherapy in the study group.
Results. The subjective treatment effect by the presence of pain was more commonly recorded in the study group (100% vs 89.2%; p < 0.05). No significant differences in the treatment effect were found in patients with mild pain. In women with moderate pain, the full treatment effect occurred 1.4 times more frequently in the study group than in the control one; the rate of the partial treatment effect was close in the compared groups, and the patients with no effect were significantly fewer in the study group. In women with severe pain, the full treatment effect was noted in 60.5% and 84.1% in the control and study groups, respectively (p = 0.0163); no effect was recorded in 13.2% in the control group and in 0% in the study group (p = 0.0130); there were 26.6% and 15.9% of cases with a partial effect in the control and study groups, respectively (p = 0.2464). Analysis of the patients’ general status according to the Karnofsky performance scale index showed that the pretreatment index ranged from 50 to 70 points in most patients of the control group. After radiation therapy, the indices improved, rising up to 80 points in one-third of patients. Before the treatment, the index in the study group was the same as in the control one; but after treatment it considerably improved and was even equal to 100 points in 7 patients (3 with mild pain before treatment, 1 with moderate pain, and 3 with severe pain).
Conclusion. To improve the results of treating bone metastases, we recommend that radiation therapy be combined with a vortex magnetic field, which enhances the analgesic effect and improves the general condition of the patient and his/her quality of life.

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