Skeletal Related Events In Patients With Metastatic Bone Disease

Recent advances in effective systemic treatment and supportive care have resulted in an improved prognosis for patients with bone metastases. As patients are living with their metastatic bone disease for longer, skeletal related events (SREs) are of increasing concern. An SRE is defined as one of the following: the need for palliative surgery or radiation therapy (RT) for pain relief or stabilization of an osseous lesion, pathological fracture, spinal cord compression (SCC), or hypercalcaemia. Given that the occurrence of an SRE is associated with a worsening patient mortality, successful management of bone metastases is essential for not only reducing skeletal complications and maximizing patient quality of life (QOL), but also for improved survival.