An American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) study has determined that image-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation is safe and effective for lowering the level of pain experienced by cancer patients with bone metastases.
Skeletal metastases are common in cancer patients, with 30% to 70% of patients diagnosed with cancer developing a bone metastasis. Current pain management strategies are not effective for all patients, and increasing doses of narcotics are often required, according to the authors.
In a multicenter study published online December 29 in Cancer, a research team used RF ablation in a group of 55 patients who each had a single painful bone metastasis and who reported pain scores of greater than 50 on a scale of 0-100. Each patient received CT-guided RF ablation of the tumor and then evaluated their pain prior to treatment, on a daily basis for two weeks after the procedure, and again at one month and three months after the RF procedure.
At the one-month follow-up period, patients saw an average increase in pain relief of 26.3 points on the 100-point scale (p < 0.0001) compared to before the RF ablation procedure. At the three-month follow-up, patients reported an increase in pain relief of 16.4 points (p = 0.02). Patients reported a decrease in pain intensity of 26.9 (p < 0.0001) at the one-month follow-up and 14.2 at the three-month follow-up (p = 0.02).
RF ablation can be an alternative for patients who previously received radiation therapy and have reached their maximum radiation dose, but who are still experiencing pain, the researchers concluded.
The principal investigator on the study was Dr. Damian Dupuy, director of ablation services at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence and professor of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, also in Providence.
By Erik L. Ridley
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
January 5, 2010
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