1 research outputs found
Percutaneous image-guided radiofrequency ablation of painful metastases involving bone: a multicenter study.
Purpose
Few options are available for pain relief in patients with bone metastases who fail standard treatments.
We sought to determine the benefit of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in providing pain relief for patients
with refractory pain secondary to metastases involving bone.
Patients and Methods
Thirty-one US and 12 European patients with painful osteolytic metastases involving bone were treated
with image-guided RFA using a multitip needle. Treated patients had
4/10 pain and had either failed
or were poor candidates for standard treatments such as radiation or opioid analgesics. Using the Brief
Pain Inventory–Short Form, worst pain intensity was the primary end point, with a 2-unit drop considered
clinically significant.
Results
Forty-three patients were treated (median follow-up, 16 weeks). Before RFA, the mean score for worst
pain was 7.9 (range, 4/10 to 10/10). Four, 12, and 24 weeks following treatment, worst pain decreasedto 4.5 (P0001), 3.0 (P
0001), and 1.4 (ìP.0005), respectively. Ninety-five percent (41 of 43
patients) experienced a decrease in pain that was considered clinically significant. Opioid usage
significantly decreased at weeks 8 and 12. Adverse events were seen in 3 patients and included (1) a
second-degree skin burn at the grounding pad site, (2) transient bowel and bladder incontinence
following treatment of a metastasis involving the sacrum, and (3) a fracture of the acetabulum following
RFA of an acetabular lesion.
Conclusion
RFA of painful osteolytic metastases provides significant pain relief for cancer patients who have failed
standard treatment