Background: Pain is a common manifestation of cancer. The commonly used scales in measurement of pain intensity may not be easily understood by all. Also, the management of pain plays a vital role in cancer treatment and the accurate assessment of it is essential for appropriate management. In our study, Rupee scale was compared with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) in measuring pain in patients with bone metastases Objectives: To compare the Rupee scale and VAS for the measurement of pain in patients with painful bone metastases. Methods: Eighty patients with painful bone metastases planned for Radiation therapy were included in the study. The measurement of pain in the patients was done using the VAS and Rupee scale. The assessment was done prior to initiating the treatment, on the day of completion of treatment, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months post treatment. The scores obtained were subsequently compared. Results: The scores obtained were similar in both the scales The mean VAS score prior to treatment was 5.22.This dropped down to 2.87 on the day of completion of treatment, 1.56 at 1 week post treatment and further dropped to 0.78 at 1 month and 0.80 at 3 months post treatment. With the Rupee scale, the mean score prior to treatment was 54.09 and it reduced to 33.63 on the day of completion of treatment, 25.90 at 1 week, 12.72 at 1 month and 12.72 at 3 months post treatment. Thus, the Rupee Scale was found to be as effective as VAS in measuring pain intensity. Conclusion: As the Rupee scale is better understood it can be used routinely in pain assessment in the Indian population.
