ABSTRACT
Radiation therapy, which may prevent tumor growth, usually results in partial or complete pain relief after the completion of the treatment. Most patients begin to experience some response 10 to 14 days after the start of the therapy. Unfortunately, some patients may demonstrate insufficient pain relief or local tumoral recurrence after the initial radiation therapy. Moreover, this treatment results in only minimal and often delayed (two to four months after the start of irradiation) bone strengthening, which may not allow patients with extensive lytic lesions of the weight-bearing part of bone (acetabulum and vertebra) to stand.
