Trial reportBMC cancer2018
Local response and pathologic fractures following stereotactic body radiotherapy versus three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for spinal metastases - a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02358720 (Single-fraction IMRT Versus External Beam Radiotherapy for Patients With Spine Bone Metastases), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Single-fraction IMRT Versus External Beam Radiotherapy for Patients With Spine Bone Metastases
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Global research trends in radiotherapy for bone metastases: a systematic bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Stereotactic Body and Conventional Radiotherapy for Painful Bone Metastases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- Spine surgery for metastatic spine cancer in the era of advanced radiation therapy.Asian spine journal · 2026Article
- Heterogeneity of study endpoints in stereotactic body radiation therapy studies for bone metastases: A systematic review.Journal of radiosurgery and SBRT · 2025Article
- Stereotactic body radiotherapy for treatment of spinal metastasis: A systematic review of the literature.Neuro-oncology advances · 2024Review
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy for spinal metastases: A new standard of care.Neuro-oncology · 2024Review
- Dose calculation and reporting with a linear Boltzman transport equation solver in vertebral SABR.Physical and engineering sciences in medicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Prognostic Factors Associated With Surviving Less Than 3 Months vs Greater Than 3 Years Specific to Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy and Late Adverse Events.Neurosurgery · 2021Article
- Biomechanical Properties of Metastatically Involved Osteolytic Bone.Current osteoporosis reports · 2020Review
- CT based quantitative measures of the stability of fractured metastatically involved vertebrae treated with spine stereotactic body radiotherapy.Clinical & experimental metastasis · 2020Article
- Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for Oligometastatic Spine Metastases: An Overview.Frontiers in oncology · 2019Review
- Changes in Volume and Density Parameters Measured on Computed Tomography Images Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy of Nonspine Bone Metastases.Technology in cancer research & treatment · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThis was a prespecified secondary analysis of a randomized trial, which analyzed bone density following stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) versus conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) as part of palliative management of painful spinal metastases.
methodsFifty-five patients were enrolled in this single-institutional randomized exploratory trial (NCT02358720). Participants were randomly assigned to receive SBRT (single-fraction 24 Gy) or 3DCRT (30 Gy/10 fractions). Quantitative bone density was evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6 months in both irradiated and unirradiated spinal bodies, along with rates of pathologic fractures and vertebral compression fractures.
resultsAs compared to baseline, bone density became significantly higher at 3 and 6 months following SBRT by a median of 33.8% and 72.1%, respectively (p < 0.01 for both). These figures in the 3DCRT cohort were 32.9% and 41.2%, respectively (p < 0.01 for both). There were no statistical differences in bone density between SBRT and 3DCRT at 3 (p = 0.629) or 6 months (p = 0.327). Subgroup analysis of osteolytic metastases showed an increase in bone density relative to baseline in the SBRT (but not 3DCRT) arm. Bone density in unaffected vertebrae did not show substantial changes in either group. The 3-month incidence of new pathological fractures was 8.7% in the SBRT arm vs. 4.3% in the 3DCRT arm.
conclusionsDespite high ablative doses in the SBRT arm, the significant increase in bone density after 3 and 6 months was similar to that of 3DCRT. Our trial demonstrated a moderate rate of subsequent pathological fracture after SBRT. Future randomized investigations with larger sample sizes are recommended.
trial registrationwww.clinicaltrials.gov : NCT02358720 on 9nd of February 2015.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.