Preoperative radiofrequency ablation in painful osteolytic long bone metastases. 2012

Alexander Di Francesco, and Stefano Flamini, and Luigi Zugaro, and Carmine Zoccali
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Salvatore Hospital, via Vetoio, No 1, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy. alexdifranco@tiscali.it

This study aimed to determine whether Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) followed by prophylactic internal fixation produces better palliation in terms of pain and reduces the need for blood transfusion more than radiotherapy and surgical stabilization (RT-SS). Patients with solitary long bone metastases and a pain score of 5 or more on the VAS scale were selected. Fifteen patients were treated with RFA and surgical stabilization (RFA-SS) and were compared with a matched group (15 subjects) treated by radiotherapy and surgical stabilization (RT-SS). A complete response in terms of pain relief at 12 weeks was documented in 20% (3/15) and 533% (8/15) of the subjects treated by RT-SS or RFA-SS, respectively (p = 0.027). The overall response rate at 12 weeks was 93.3% (14 patients) in the group treated by RFA-SS and 59.9% (9 patients) in the group treated by RT-SS (p = 0.048). Although recurrent pain was documented more frequently after RT-SS (26.6%) than after RFA-SS (6.7%) the difference did not reach statistical significance. The morbidity related to RT-SS did not significantly differ when the treatment was associated with RFA. We observed a reduction in blood transfusion, as 3 patients in the RT-SS group required a blood transfusion, versus none in the RFA-SS group. Our results suggest that RFA-SS is safe and is more effective than RT-SS; furthermore, RFA may become an option for patients with metastases of the long bones to prevent tumour dissemination and reduce intraoperative blood loss. The findings described here should serve as a framework around which to design future clinical trials.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D010147 Pain Measurement Scales, questionnaires, tests, and other methods used to assess pain severity and duration in patients or experimental animals to aid in diagnosis, therapy, and physiological studies. Analgesia Tests,Analogue Pain Scale,Formalin Test,McGill Pain Questionnaire,Nociception Tests,Pain Assessment,Pain Intensity,Pain Severity,Tourniquet Pain Test,Visual Analogue Pain Scale,Analog Pain Scale,Assessment, Pain,McGill Pain Scale,Visual Analog Pain Scale,Analgesia Test,Analog Pain Scales,Analogue Pain Scales,Formalin Tests,Intensity, Pain,Measurement, Pain,Nociception Test,Pain Assessments,Pain Intensities,Pain Measurements,Pain Questionnaire, McGill,Pain Scale, Analog,Pain Scale, Analogue,Pain Scale, McGill,Pain Severities,Pain Test, Tourniquet,Questionnaire, McGill Pain,Scale, Analog Pain,Scale, Analogue Pain,Scale, McGill Pain,Severity, Pain,Test, Analgesia,Test, Formalin,Test, Nociception,Test, Tourniquet Pain,Tests, Nociception,Tourniquet Pain Tests
D010166 Palliative Care Care alleviating symptoms without curing the underlying disease. (Stedman, 25th ed) Palliative Treatment,Palliative Supportive Care,Palliative Surgery,Palliative Therapy,Surgery, Palliative,Therapy, Palliative,Care, Palliative,Palliative Treatments,Supportive Care, Palliative,Treatment, Palliative,Treatments, Palliative
D001859 Bone Neoplasms Tumors or cancer located in bone tissue or specific BONES. Bone Cancer,Cancer of Bone,Cancer of the Bone,Neoplasms, Bone,Bone Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Bone
D003131 Combined Modality Therapy The treatment of a disease or condition by several different means simultaneously or sequentially. Chemoimmunotherapy, RADIOIMMUNOTHERAPY, chemoradiotherapy, cryochemotherapy, and SALVAGE THERAPY are seen most frequently, but their combinations with each other and surgery are also used. Multimodal Treatment,Therapy, Combined Modality,Combined Modality Therapies,Modality Therapies, Combined,Modality Therapy, Combined,Multimodal Treatments,Therapies, Combined Modality,Treatment, Multimodal,Treatments, Multimodal
D005260 Female Females
D005269 Femur The longest and largest bone of the skeleton, it is situated between the hip and the knee. Trochanter,Greater Trochanter,Lesser Trochanter,Femurs,Greater Trochanters,Lesser Trochanters,Trochanter, Greater,Trochanter, Lesser,Trochanters,Trochanters, Greater,Trochanters, Lesser
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006811 Humerus Bone in humans and primates extending from the SHOULDER JOINT to the ELBOW JOINT. Humeri,Greater Tubercle,Humeral Greater Tuberosity,Humeral Lesser Tuberosity,Lesser Tubercle,Olecranon Fossa,Olecranon Fossi,Greater Tubercles,Greater Tuberosities, Humeral,Greater Tuberosity, Humeral,Humeral Greater Tuberosities,Humeral Lesser Tuberosities,Lesser Tubercles,Lesser Tuberosities, Humeral,Lesser Tuberosity, Humeral,Tubercle, Greater,Tubercles, Greater
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly

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