Optimal treatment of painful bone metastases with Samarium EDTMP in a haemodialysis patient: effectiveness and safety of internal radiotherapy

One of the current therapeutic approaches in the treatment of osteoblastic bone metastases uses the affinity of Samarium ( 153 Sm) ethylene-diamine-tetramethylene phosphonic acid (EDTMP) for bone areas of bone turnover. As Samarium EDTMP is a β-emitter, the radiotherapy contributes to osteoblastic bone lesion control over time. To date, the safety and effectiveness of Samarium therapy have not been established in patients with renal impairment. In this first report, we describe our experience of use of Samarium EDTMP in conjunction with biphosphonates in a haemodialysis patient for treatment of painful bone metastasis. Encouraging results were obtained in achieving pain control. The use of this radioisotope could be more widely applied to treat haemodialysis patients.