Skip to main content

Outcome Measures in Bone Metastases Clinical Trials

  • Chapter
Bone Metastases

Part of the book series: Cancer Metastasis – Biology and Treatment ((CMBT,volume 12))

  • 983 Accesses

Abstract

Bone metastases are the most common manifestation of metastatic disease in advanced cancers. Management of bone metastases is increasingly multidisciplinary in nature and as a result, we have witnessed an increased survival of this population. Therefore, there is an increased need to accurately monitor the benefits and side effects of these treatments. This chapter will outline the trials and tribulations that have been encountered leading to the development of standardized outcome assessment tools for use in bone metastases clinical trials. The evaluation of pain response in previous clinical trials and the subsequent establishment of the International Bone Metastases Consensus Working Party endpoints we be explored. This chapter will also discuss various pain assessment tools, when response should be evaluated, and the value of subjective analyses of what constitutes a meaningful pain response for patients. The development of a comprehensive, universal bone metastases-specific quality of life (QOL) questionnaire will be examined, outlining the differences in perspectives of what patients and health care professionals believe to be most relevant issues for patients with bone metastases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. InSightec Image Guided Treatment Ltd. (2005) Pain Palliation of Bone Metastases – Overview. http://www.insightec.com/135-en-r10/BoneMetastases.aspx. Cited 1 April 2005

  2. Harrington KD (1988) Prophylactic management of impending fractures. Orthopedic Management of Metastatic Bone Disease St. Louis, CV Mosby

    Google Scholar 

  3. Patrick DL, Ferketich SL, Frame PS, et al. (2003) National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference Statement: symptom management in cancer: pain, depression, and fatigue, 15–17 July 2002. J Natl Cancer Inst 95: 110–117

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chow E, Harris K, Fan G, et al. (2007) Meta-analysis of palliative radiotherapy trials for bone metastases. Clin Oncol 19: S26–S26

    Google Scholar 

  5. Wu JSY, Wong R, Johnston M, et al. (2003) Meta-analysis of dose-fractionation radiotherapy trials for the palliation of painful bone metastases. Int J Rad Oncol Biol Phys 55: 594–605

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sze WM, Shelley M, Held I, Mason M (2003) Palliation of metastatic bone pain: single fraction versus multifraction radiotherapy – a systemic review of randomized trials. Clin Oncol 15: 345–352

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Coia LR, Hanks GE, Martz K, et al. (1988) Practice patterns of palliative care for the United States 1984–1985. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 14: 1261–1269

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Priestman TJ, Bullimore JA, Godden TP, Deutsch GP (1989) The Royal College of Radiologists’ Fractionation Survey. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 1: 39–46

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Crellin AM, Marks A, Maher EJ (1989) Why don’t British radiotherapists give single fractions of radiotherapy for bone metastases? Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 1: 63–66

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lawton PA, Maher EJ (1991) Treatment strategies for advanced and metastatic cancer in Europe. Radiother Oncol 22: 1–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Maher EJ, Coia L, Duncan G, Lawton PA (1992) Treatment strategies in advanced and metastatic cancer: differences in attitude between the USA, Canada and Europe. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 23: 239–244

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Duncan G, Duncan W, Maher EJ (1993) Patterns of palliative radiotherapy in Canada. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 5: 92–97

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Stevens G, Firth I (1995) Patterns of fractionation for palliation of bone metastases. Australas Radiol 39: 31–35

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ben-Josef E, Shamsa F, Williams AO, Porter AT (1998) Radiotherapeutic management of osseous metastases: a survey of current practices of care. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 40: 915–921

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hartsell WF, Shah AB, Graney M, Kun LE (1998) Palliation of bone metastases in the USA: a survey of patterns of practice [Abstract]. Support Care Cancer 6:175

    Google Scholar 

  16. Chow E, Danjoux C, Wong R, et al. (2000) Palliation of bone metastases: a survey of patterns of practice among Canadian radiation oncologists. Radiother Oncol 56: 305–314

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Lievens Y, Kesteloot K, Rijnders A, et al. (2000) Differences in palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases within Western European countries. Radiother Oncol 56: 297–303

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Roos DE (2000) Continuing reluctance to use single fractions of radiotherapy for metastatic bone pain: an Australian and New Zealand practice survey and literature review. Radiother Oncol 56: 315–322

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Möller TR, Brorsson B, Ceberg J, et al. (2003) A prospective survey of radiotherapy practice 2001 in Sweden. Acta Oncol 42: 387–410

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Gupta T, Sarin R (2004) Palliative radiation therapy for painful vertebral metastases – a practice survey. Cancer 101: 2892–2896

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Wu JS, Bezjak A, Chow E, Kirkbride P (2002) Primary treatment endpoint following palliative radiotherapy for painful bone metastases: need for a consensus definition? Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 4: 70–77

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Tong D, Gillick L, Hendrickson FR (1982) The palliation of symptomatic osseous metastases: final results of the study by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Cancer 1982;50: 893–899

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Blitzer PH (1985) Reanalysis of the RTOG study of the palliation of symptomatic osseous metastasis. Cancer 55: 1468–1472

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kirkbride P, Warde P, Panzarella T, Aslanidis J (2000) A randomised trial comparing the efficacy and safety of single fraction radiation therapy plus Ondansetron with fractionated therapy in the palliation of skeletal metastases [Abstract]. Int J Rad Oncol Biol Phys 48:185

    Google Scholar 

  25. Nielsen OS, Bentzen SM, Sandberg E, et al. (1998) Randomized trial of single dose versus fractionated palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases. Radiother Oncol 47: 233–240

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Chow E, Wu J, Hoskin P, et al. on behalf of the International Bone Metastases Consensus Working Party (2002) International consensus on palliative radiotherapy endpoints for future clinical trials in bone metastases. Radiother Oncol 64: 275–280

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mor V, Laliberte L, Morris JN, et al. (1984) The Karnofsky performance status scale: an examination of its reliability and validity in a research setting. Cancer 53: 2002–2007

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Yates JW, Chalmer B, McKegney FP (1980) Evaluation of patients with advanced cancer using the Karnofsky performance status. Cancer 45: 2220–2224

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Chow E, Harth T, Hruby G, et al. (2001) How accurate are physicians’ clinical prediction of survival and the available prognostic tools in estimating survival times in terminally ill cancer patients? – a systematic review. Clin Oncol 13: 209–218

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Vigano A, Dorgan M, Buckingham J, et al. (2000) Survival prediction in terminal cancer patients: a systematic review of the medical literature. Palliat Med 14: 363–374

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Health and Welfare Canada. (1984) Cancer pain: a monograph on the management of cancer pain. Minister of Supply and Services, Ottawa

    Google Scholar 

  32. Chow E, Davis L, Holden L, et al. (2004) A comparison of radiation therapy outcomes of bone metastases employing International Consensus Endpoints and traditional endpoints. Support Cancer Ther 1: 173–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Miaskowski C, Cleary J, Burney R, et al. (2005) Guideline for the management of cancer pain in adults and children (Clinical practice guideline; no. 3). Glenview (IL), American Pain Society (APS), 166

    Google Scholar 

  34. Harris K, Li K, Flynn C, et al. (2007) Worst, average or current pain in the Brief Pain Inventory: which should be used to calculate the response to palliative radiotherapy in patients with bone metastases? Clin Oncol 19: 523–527

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Cleeland CS, Ryan KM (1994) Pain assessment Global use of the Brief Pain Inventory. Ann Acad Med Singap 23: 129–138

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Daut RL, Cleeland CS, Flanery RC (1983) Development of the Wisconsin Brief Pain Questionnaire to assess pain in cancer and other diseases. Pain 17: 197–210

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Ger LP, Ho ST, Sun WZ, et al. (1999) Validation of the Brief Pain Inventory in a Taiwanese population. J Pain Symp Manag 18: 316–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Li K, Fung K, Sinclair E, et al. (2005) Correlation of pain score with functional interference in the Brief Pain Inventory. Curr Oncol 12: 37–43

    Google Scholar 

  39. McMillan SC, Tittle M, Hagan S, et al. (2000) Management of pain and pain-related symptoms in hospitalized veterans with cancer. Cancer Nurs 23: 327–336

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Serlin RC, Mendoza TR, Nakamura Y, et al. (1995) When is cancer pain mild, moderate, or severe? Grading pain severity by its interference with function. Pain 61: 227–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Anderson KO (2005) Role of cutpoints: why grade pain intensity. Pain 113: 5–6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Clark P, Lavielle P, Martinez H (2003) Learning from pain scales: patient perspective. J Rheumatol : 1584–1548

    Google Scholar 

  43. World Health Organization (2008) WHO’s pain ladder. http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/ painladder/en/. Cited 15 August 2008

  44. Gordon DB, Dahl JL, Miaskowski C, et al. (2005) American pain society recommendations for improving the quality of acute and cancer pain management: American Pain Society Quality of Care Task Force. Arch Intern Med 165: 1574–1580

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2008) NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology: adult cancer pain V.1.2006. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician\_gls/ PDF/pain.pdf. Cited 15 August 2008

  46. Li K, Harris K, Hadi S, Chow E (2007) What should be the optimal cut points for mild, moderate, and severe pain? J Palliat Med 10: 1338–1346

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Li K, Hadi S, Kirou-Mauro A, Chow E (2008) When should we define response in the treatment of bone metastases by palliative radiotherapy? Clin Oncol 20: 83–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Brunelli C, Constantini M, Di Giulio P, et al. (1998) Quality-of-life evaluation: when do terminal cancer patients and health-care providers agree? J Pain Symptom Manage 15: 151–158

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Grossman SA, Sheidler VR, Swedeen K, et al. (1991) Correlation of patient and caregiver ratings of cancer pain. J Pain Symptom Manage 6: 53–57

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Higginson IJ, McCarthy M (1993) Validity of the support team assessment schedule: do staffs’ ratings reflect those made by patients or their families? Palliat Med 7: 219–228

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Higginson IJ (1998) Can professionals improve their assessment? [Commentary] J Pain Symptom Manag 15: 149–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Nekolaichuk CL, Bruera E, Spachynski K, et al. (1999) A comparison of patient and proxy symptom assessments in advanced cancer patients. Palliat Med 13: 311–323

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Slevin ML, Plant H, Lynch D, et al. (1988) Who should measure quality of life, the doctor or the patient? Br J Cancer 57: 109–112

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Sneeuw KCA, Aaronson NK, Sprangers MAG, et al. (1997) Value of caregiver ratings in evaluating the quality of life of patients with cancer. J Clin Oncol 15: 1206–1217

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Sprangers MAG, Aaronson NK (1992) The role of health care providers and significant others in evaluating the quality of life of patients with chronic disease: a review. J Clin Epidemiol 45: 743–760

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Chow E, Ling A, Davis L, et al. (2005) Pain flare following external beam radiotherapy and meaningful change in pain scores in the treatment of bone metastases. Radiother Oncol 75: 64–69

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Hartsell WF, Scott C, Brunner DW, et al. (2003) Phase III randomized trial of 8 Gy in fraction versus 30 Gy in 10 fractions for palliation of painful bone metastases: preliminary results of RTOG 97–14. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 57:S124

    Google Scholar 

  58. Steenland E, Leer JW, van Houwelingen H, et al. (1999) The effect of a single fraction compared to multiple fractions on painful bone metastases: a global analysis of the Dutch bone metastasis study. Radiother Oncol 52: 101–109

    Google Scholar 

  59. Lenert LA, Treadwell JR, Schwartz CE (1999) Associations between health status and utilities: implications for policy. Med Care 37: 479–489

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Chow E, Chiu H, Doyle M, et al. (2007) Patient expectation of the partial response and response shift in pain score. Support Cancer Ther 4: 110–118

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Farrar JT, Berlin JA, Strom BL (2003) Clinically important changes in acute pain outcome measures: a validation study. J Pain Symptom Manag 25: 406–411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. World Health Organization (1948) Constitution of the World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland, WHO Basic Documents

    Google Scholar 

  63. Soni MK, Cella D (2002) Quality of life and symptom measures in oncology: an overview. Am J Manag Care 8: S560–S573

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Bezjak A, Ng P, Taylor KM, et al. (1997) A preliminary survey of oncologists’ perceptions of quality of life information. Psychooncology 6: 107–113

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  65. Costantini M, Mencaglia E, Giulio PD, et al. (2000) Cancer patient as ``experts’’ in defining quality of life domains. A multicentre survey by the Italian Group for the Evaluation of Outcomes in Oncology (IGEO). Qual Life Res 9: 151–159

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  66. Rustøen T, Moum T, Padilla G, et al. (2005) Predictors of quality of life in oncology outpatients with pain from bone metastasis. J Pain Symp Manag 30: 234–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Detmar SB, Aaronson NK, Wever LDV, et al. (2000) How are you feeling? Who wants to know? Patients’ and oncologists’ preferences for discussing health-related quality-of-life issues. J Clin Oncol 18: 3295–3301

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Petersen MA, Larsen H, Pedersen L, et al. (2006) Assessing health-related quality of life in palliative care: comparing patient and physician assessments. Eur J Cancer 42: 1159–1166

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Chow E, Hruby G, Davis L, et al. (2004) Quality of life after local external beam radiation therapy for symptomatic bone metastases: a prospective evaluation. Support Cancer Ther 1: 179–184

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Gaze MN, Kelly, CG, Kerr GR, et al. (1997) Pain relief and quality of life following radiotherapy for bone metastases: a randomized trial of two fractionation schedules. Radiother Oncol 45: 109–116

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  71. Fossa SD (1994) Quality of life after palliative radiotherapy in patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer: single institution experience. Br J Urol 74: 345–351

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  72. Spitzer WO, Dobson AJ, Hall J, et al. (1981) Measuring the quality of life of cancer patients: a concise QL-index for use by physicians. J Chron Dis 34: 585–597

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  73. De Haes JCJM, Olschewski M, Fayers P, et al. (1996) Measuring the quality of life of cancer patients with the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL): a manual, Northern Centre for Healthcare Research

    Google Scholar 

  74. Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, et al. (1993) The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ C-30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. JNCI 85: 365–376

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  75. Fossa SD, Aaronson NK, Newling D, et al. EORTC GU Group (1990) Subjective response to treatment of hormone-resistant metastatic prostatic cancer. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 26: 1122–1136

    Google Scholar 

  76. Chow E, Harris K, Tharmalingam S, et al. (2007). Early phase in the development of a bone metastases quality of life module. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) Apr;19:S26.

    Google Scholar 

  77. Ferrell B, Grant M, Padilla G, et al. (1991) The experience of pain and perceptions of quality of life: validation of a conceptual model. Hosp J 7: 9–24

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  78. Miaskowski C, Dibble SL (1995) The problem of pain in outpatients with breast cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum 22: 791–797

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  79. Rummans TA, Frost M, Suman VJ, et al. (1998) Quality of life and pain in patients with recurrent breast and gynecologic cancer. Psychosomatics 39: 437–445

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  80. Strang P, Qvarner H (1990) Cancer-related pain and its influence on quality of life. Anticancer Res 10: 109–112

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  81. Sandblom G, Carlsson P, Sigsjo P, Varenhorst E (2001) Pain and health-related quality of life in a geographically defined population of men with prostate cancer. Br J Cancer 85: 497–503

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  82. Burrows M, Dibble SL, Miaskowski C (1998) Differences in outcomes among patients experiencing different types of cancer-related pain. Oncol Nurs Forum 25: 735–741

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  83. Esnaola NF, Cantor SB, Johnson ML, et al. (2002) Pain and quality of life after treatment in patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer. J Clin Oncol 20: 4361–4367

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Anonymous (2005) Quality of life from a patient’s perspective: can we believe the patient? Curr Probl Cancer 29: 326–331

    Google Scholar 

  85. Frost MH, Bonomi AE, Estwing Ferrans C, et al. and the Clinical Significance Consensus Meeting Group (2002) Patient, clinician, and population perspectives on determining the clinical significance of quality-of-life scores. Mayo Clin Proc 77: 488–494

    Google Scholar 

  86. Taylor KM, Macdonald KG, Bezjak A, et al. (1996) Physicians’ perspective on quality of life: an exploratory study of oncologists. Qual Life Res 5: 5–14

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  87. Movsas B (2003) Quality of life in oncology trials: a clinical guide. Rad Oncol 13: 235–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  88. Taylor KM, Feldstein ML, Skeel RT, et al. (1994) Fundamental dilemmas on the randomized clinical trial process. Results of the 1737 Eastern Cooperative Group Investigators. J Clin Oncol 12: 1796–1805

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  89. Bradley NM, Husted J, Sey MS, et al. (2006) Review of patterns of practice and patients’ preferences in the treatment of bone metastases with palliative radiotherapy. Support Care Cancer 4: 373–385

    Google Scholar 

  90. Hortobagyi GN, Theriault RL, Porter L, et al. (1996) Efficacy of pamidronate in reducing skeletal complications in patients with breast cancer and lytic bone metastases. Protocol 19 Aredia Breast Cancer Study Group. New Engl J Med 335: 1785–1791

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  91. Tannock IF, Osoba D, Stockler MR, et al. (1996) Chemotherapy with mitoxantrone plus prednisone or prednisone alone for symptomatic hormone resistant prostate cancer: a Canadian randomized trial with palliative end points. J Clin Oncol 14: 1756–1764

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  92. Detmar SB, Muller MJ, Schornagei JH, et al. (2002) Health-related quality-of-life assessments and patient–physician communication: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 288: 3027–3034

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  93. Groenvold M, Petersen MA, Aaronson NK, et al. EORTC Quality of Life Group (2006) The development of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL: a shortened questionnaire for cancer patients in palliative care. Eur J Cancer 42: 55–64

    Google Scholar 

  94. Blazeby J, Sprangers M, Cull A, et al. (2002) EORTC Quality of Life Group: guidelines for developing questionnaire modules. Third edition revised. http://groups.eortc.be/qol/downloads/200208module\_development\_guidelines.pdf. Cited 1 August 2008

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amanda Hird .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hird, A., Chow, E. (2009). Outcome Measures in Bone Metastases Clinical Trials. In: Kardamakis, D., Vassiliou, V., Chow, E. (eds) Bone Metastases. Cancer Metastasis – Biology and Treatment, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9819-2_18

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics