Palliative radiotherapy for painful non-bone lesions in patients with advanced cancer: a single center retrospective study

This retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of palliative radiotherapy for painful non-bone lesions in patients with advanced cancer. We enrolled patients with painful non-bone lesions who underwent conventional palliative radiotherapy between September 2018 and September 2022. The treatment targets included primary tumor lesions, lymph node metastases, non-bone hematogenous metastases, and other lesions. The primary endpoint was the overall pain response rate in evaluable patients, determined based on the International Consensus Pain Response Endpoint criteria. The secondary endpoints included overall survival, pain recurrence, and adverse events. Of the 420 screened patients, 142 received palliative radiotherapy for painful non-bone lesions, and 112 were evaluable. A pain response was achieved in 67 patients (60