External beam radiation is the most common method used for all types of situations. Strontium-89 therapy is an intravenous radionucleotide that works specifically on bony metastases. Palliative radiation is the treatment of choice for patients with symptomatic brain metastases, bone pain, and spinal cord compression. It may also be helpful for symptom relief in advanced disease, on tumors that compress vital organs, and to prevent fracture of weight bearing bones with metastatic lesions.