Your role in early diagnosis & Tx of metastatic bone disease
This approach to the work-up and diagnosis will help you to ensure prompt treatment while maximizing your patient’s quality of life.
PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS
› Initiate appropriate lab and imaging work-ups for any patient without known malignancy who has a suspicious bone lesion. C
› Prescribe protected weight-bearing for the patient who has a painful bone lesion, and refer promptly to an orthopedic surgeon to prevent pathologic fracture. C
Strength of recommendation (SOR)
A Good-quality patient-oriented evidence
B Inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence
C Consensus, usual practice, opinion, disease-oriented evidence, case series
Finally, the long-term care of patients with metastatic cancers necessarily involves multidisciplinary teams, which further complicates communication. To ensure that patients are receiving an appropriate course of treatment, evaluate their health literacy, confirm their understanding of the disease, and acknowledge their desires.
CORRESPONDENCE
Kyle Sweeney, MD, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, MS 3017, Kansas City, KS 66160; ksweeney2@kumc.edu.
