Risk of complications from bone metastases in breast cancer: implications for management

• Published in: European journal of cancer (1990) 2000-03, Vol.36 (4), p.476-482
• Main Authors: Plunkett, T.A., Smith, P., Rubens, R.D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Bisphosphonates; Bone metastases; Bone Neoplasms - complications; Bone Neoplasms - drug therapy; Bone Neoplasms - secondary; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - complications; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - mortality; Diphosphonates - therapeutic use; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; Femoral Fractures - etiology; Femoral Fractures - mortality; Fractures, Bone - etiology; Fractures, Bone - mortality; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Humeral Fractures - etiology; Humeral Fractures - mortality; Liver Neoplasms - mortality; Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Mammary gland diseases; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases; Patient Selection; Radiotherapy; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Tumors
• ISSN: 0959-8049; 1879-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/S0959-8049(99)00331-7

A retrospective analysis of 859 patients who developed bone metastases from breast cancer between 1975 and 1991 was performed in order to identify factors that predict for complications from skeletal disease. The patients were divided into four groups based on the sites of disease at diagnosis of skeletal metastases: bone disease only; bone and soft tissue disease; bone and pleuro-pulmonary disease; bone and liver disease. Patients with metastatic disease confined to the skeleton were most likely to develop a pathological fracture. The time to long bone fracture was similar for all groups, but the least number of such fractures occurred in patients with bone and liver metastases since their survival was shortest (median: 5.5 months; P