Bone scale helps determine response to prostate Ca treatment

A scale used to measure bone metastases has been found useful in determining whether some prostate cancer patients are responding to chemotherapy, report researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.

The Bone Scale Index (BSI) was developed by Memorial Sloan-Kettering researchers to help measure the extent of bone metastases. In their retrospective study, which was published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Jan. 9, 2012), the authors applied the BSI to 88 prostate cancer patients who received chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and set out to determine whether this scale was a better predictor of survival than PSA levels.

On univariate analysis, the log percent change in BSI from baseline to 3 and 6 months on treatment prognosticated for survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.44; p=.0089 and HR, 2.54; p

"What we learned is that changes in BSI levels while on treatment correlated with a patient’s likelihood of surviving, and did so better than changes in PSA levels," Dr. Morris said. “The Bone Scan Index is a step in the right direction for developing that long-sought-after imaging biomarker and shows how novel quantitative imaging techniques can be powerful new tools to predict survival.

"We’re now working on ways to automate reading bone scans in this manner, so that the technique can be used easily in the context of larger studies and for clinical care."

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