Cryoablation or External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Painful Bone Metastases

You may not qualify if:

• Index lesion causing clinical or radiographic evidence of spinal cord or cauda equina compression/effacement
• Index lesion involves the skull
• Treatment of other painful lesions in patients with skull lesions is not excluded
• Index lesion has evidence of a pathologic fracture or impending fracture in weight-bearing bones (e.g., vertebral body, periacetabular region, femur, or tibia) with \> 50% loss of cortical bone
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy ≥ 2 months
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• No concurrent medication known to interfere with platelet function or coagulation (e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen, clopidogrel, or warfarin) and such medications have been discontinued for an appropriate time period based on the drug half-life and known activity (e.g., aspirin for 7 days) for patients randomized to receive cryoablation only
• Low molecular weight heparin preparations must be discontinued 8 hours prior to cryoablation
• At least 2 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (for patients randomized to receive cryoablation only)
• +5 more criteria