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Radiofrequency ablation may aid patients with bone metastasis pain
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Radiofrequency ablation performed under CT guidance reduced pain in patients with a single painful bone metastasis, according to investigators who studied the technique’s effectiveness as a nonsurgical option.
The results of the multicenter prospective trial appeared last month in the online edition of Cancer.
In the study, investigators found that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was effective and had few adverse events.
“This is a significant step forward in the pain management of these patients,” Damian E. Dupuy, MD, director of ablation services at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, stated in an American College of Radiology press release.
He noted that this nonsurgical option produces immediate cell death, can control lesion size and be performed under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting.
Improvements seen
Dupuy and his colleagues studied the results of percutaneous CT-guided RFA performed to temperatures less than 60° C in 55 patients. The investigators found statistically significant pain reduction at 1- and 3-months follow-up for every pain measure used, such as pain relief, intensity and severity.
They also noted improvement for each pain measurement and patient mood. In addition, they found that the most improvement occurred at the 1-month interval.
Prior to the procedure, patients rated their pain as greater than 50 points on a scale of 0 to 100 points. Compared to patients’ preoperative levels, the investigators discovered that pain relief improved an average of 26.3 points through the 1-month follow-up and 16.38 points through the 3-month follow-up. On average, pain intensity decreased 26.9 points and 14.2 points at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups, respectively, according to the study abstract.
Expanded use
RFA, which is used to treat liver, kidney and lung cancers, can safely be repeated in patients with painful bone metastases and can also be used in patients with osseous metastases that were previously treated with radiation therapy, according to the release.
“This study demonstrates the palliative benefits of RFA with minimal treatment-related morbidity,” Thomas DiPetrillo, MD, a study investigator and clinical director of radiation oncology at Rhode Island Hospital, noted in the release. “Oncologists have another tool for the management of cancer pain.”
- Reference:
- For more information:
Dupuy DE, Liu D, Hartfeil D, et al. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of painful osseous metastases: a multicenter American College of Radiology Imaging Network trial. Cancer. Dec. 29, 2009.