Nonsurgical
Treatments for Metastatic Cancer in Bones
Interventional Radiologists Help Reduce Pain and
Improve Quality of Life
Procedures
performed by interventional radiologists are being
increasingly used in the care of patients with
cancer. These specially trained physicians use
X-rays, ultrasound or other imaging techniques
to guide small tubes called catheters and miniature
tools directly to the site of the disease. Interventional
radiology procedures for patients with cancer
include new approaches for treatment, relieving
pain and diagnosing cancer without surgical biopsy.
Bone
Cancer
Bones
are the third most common location where cancer
cells spread and metastasize. Each year, about
100,000 cases of bone metastasis are reported
in the United States. Bone metastases occur when
cancer cells gain access to the blood stream,
reach the bone marrow, begin to multiply and then
grow new blood vessels to obtain oxygen and food--which
in turn causes the cancer cells to grow more and
spread
Some
bone metastases become painful because the tumor
eats away at the bone, creating holes that make
the bone thin and weak. As the bones are replaced
with tumor, nerve endings in and around the bone
send pain signals to the brain. If left untreated,
bone metastases can eventually cause the bone
to fracture--seriously affecting a patient's quality
of life. This is particularly true for long bones
of the extremities where a fracture may render
a limb nonfunctional. These patients may require
surgical intervention to restore the function
of their limbs. More commonly, metastases involve
the ribs, pelvis, and spine.
For
the most part, the goal of treating bone tumors
is not curative, but rather palliative by reducing
pain, preventing additional bone destruction,
and improving function.
In
treating cancer patients with painful bone metastases,
interventional radiologists may use one of the
two different thermal ablation techniques--radiofrequency
ablation and cryoablation. This form of therapy
is aimed at desensitizing the bone by killing
the nerve endings in the vicinity of the metastasis.
They can also treat painful vertebral metastases
or fractures with vertebroplasty.
Prevalence
*
Bone is the third most common site of metastatic
cancer.
* About 100,000 cases of bone metastasis are reported
each year in the United States. Of those reported,
75 percent are caused by tumors in the breast,
prostate, lung and kidney.
Symptoms
*
Bone pain affects 70 percent of patients with
bone metastases
* Bone fracture
* Spinal cord compression |
