Post-operative breast cancer patients diagnosed with skeletal metastasis without bone pain had fewer skeletal-related events and deaths than those with bone pain

2010

Bone Pain and Skeletal Metastasis in Breast Cancer Patients

Sample size: 666 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Koizumi Mitsuru, Yoshimoto Masataka, Kasumi Fujio, Iwase Takuji, Ogata Etsuro

Primary Institution: Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

Hypothesis

Does the presence of bone pain in breast cancer patients with skeletal metastasis affect their survival and incidence of skeletal-related events?

Conclusion

Breast cancer patients diagnosed with skeletal metastasis without pain had fewer skeletal-related events and better survival rates than those with pain.

Supporting Evidence

Patients without pain had fewer skeletal-related events (SREs) than those with pain.
Patients without pain survived longer than those with pain.
The presence of bone pain was a significant predictor of SRE.
The study included 666 patients diagnosed with skeletal metastasis.

Takeaway

If breast cancer patients have skeletal metastasis but no pain, they tend to do better and have fewer problems than those who do have pain.

Methodology

The study analyzed data from breast cancer patients who developed skeletal metastasis, comparing those with and without bone pain using statistical methods like Kaplan-Meier and Cox's analysis.