DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven breast or prostate cancer
• Radiographic evidence of bone metastasis within 8 weeks of study

• Eligible treatment sites:

  • Weight bearing sites:

    • Pelvis (excluding pubis)
    • Femur
    • Sacrum and/or sacroiliac joints
    • Tibia

  • Nonweight bearing sites:

    • Up to 5 consecutive cervical, thoracic, or lumbar vertebral bodies
    • Lumbosacral spine
    • Up to 3 consecutive ribs
    • Humerus
    • Fibula
    • Radius with/without ulna
    • Clavicle
    • Scapula
    • Pubis
  • If multiple sites are treated, site is included as weight bearing if any of the sites include the pelvis, sacrum, femur, or tibia
• Worst pain score of at least 5 on a scale of 10
• No skull, feet, or hand metastases
• No spinal cord or cauda equina compression/effacement in vertebral metastases
• Multiple sites eligible if they can be included in no greater than 3 treatment sites

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 40-100%

Life expectancy:

• At least 3 months

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Other:

• No impending fracture of the treatment site
• No hematologic primary malignancies
• Negative pregnancy test

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No change in immunotherapy within 30 days

Chemotherapy:

• No change in chemotherapy within 30 days

Endocrine therapy:

• No change in hormonal therapy within 30 days

Radiotherapy:

• No prior radiation therapy to treatment area
• At least 30 days since systemic radiotherapy (Sr 89)

Surgery:

• No prior palliative surgery to treatment area
• No planned surgical fixation of the bone