Therapeutic efficacy of RSO for RA of the knee applying either P-32, Re-188 or Y-90 provides comparable results. Pain relief by RSO is longer lasting as compared to corticosteroid instillation.

Rhenium-188-HEDP (Re generator, it is convenient for clinical therapeutic use with a short physical half-life of 16.9 h and a maximal b-energy of 2.1 MeV. We investigated the effect of 188 Re-HEDP on pain relief, analgesic intake and impairment of bone marrow function in 27 patients with bone metastases induced from prostate cancer. All patients were interviewed using a standardised set of questions before, and after therapy for 12 weeks. The patients were treated with 2700 -3459 MBq of 188 Re-HEDP. Blood samples were taken weekly for 12 weeks, and a blood count was performed. Patients described an improvement on the Karnofsky performance scale from 7477 to 8579% 12 weeks after therapy (P ¼ 0.001). The pain score showed a maximum decrease from 44718 to 27720% in the third to the eight week after therapy (P ¼ 0.009). Seventy-six percent of the patients described a pain relief without increase of analgesic intake. Twenty percent of the patients could discontinue their analgesics and were pain free. Mean platelet count decreased from (286775) * 10 3 ml À1 to (215792) * 10 3 ml À1, and mean leucocyte count from (7.771.5) * 10 3 ml À1 to (6.071.9) * 10 3 ml À1 in the second to the fourth week after therapy. The maximal differences between the values of platelets and leucocytes before and after therapy were not statistically significant (P ¼ 0.021 and 0.094). In conclusion, 188Re-HEDP is an effective radiopharmaceutical used in the palliative treatment of metastatic bone pain in prostate cancer and shows minimal bone marrow toxicity.

All radiopharmaceuticals were effective in pain palliation, without induction of severe side effects or significant differences in therapeutic efficacy or toxicity.