The Effects of Palliative Radiotherapy on Trabecular Bone Architecture at Different Skeletal Sites

Presenter

Madison Taylor Berardi

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Stacyann Bailey, Department of Biomedical Engineering, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A33, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Palliative Radiotherapy (RTx) is commonly used to relieve pain and offers local control of bone metastases. RTx is applied to a specific region of interest but may have systemic effects on the skeleton and increases bone fragility. In this study, the goal is to determine whether RTx has a different effect on trabecular bone in the lumbar vertebrae compared to the proximal tibia due to the varying architecture and mechanical loading demands experienced at these different sites. A single dose of 15.5 Gy radiation was applied to the lumbar vertebrae and left tibia of male Sprague Dawley rats (n=28) and the animals were euthanized at 7, 14, and 28-days post-RTx. Two separate groups of animals received sham treatment (n=12) at 0- and 28-days to the same region, and the right tibia served as an internal control. The bones were dissected and imaged with microcomputed tomography to obtain bone composition [bone mineral density (BMD), tissue mineral density (TMD), bone volume fraction (BV/TV)], and trabecular architectural parameters [thickness (Tb.Th ), spacing (Tb.Sp), and number (Tb.N)]. A decrease in BV/TV and BMD was seen in both the irradiated vertebra and left tibia compared to controls indicating that RTx caused bone loss. This decline was not seen in the right tibia. The deterioration of trabecular parameters was significantly greater in the vertebra than the left tibia. Overall, RTx caused a temporal decline in trabecular bone architecture at both skeletal sites targeted and likely contributes to the underlying increased risk of fractures observed in patients.

Keywords

Palliative Radiotherapy, Cancer, Trabecular Bone

Research Area

Cancer Studies

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