Ultrasound Thermal Therapy Cuts Pain from Bone Metastases

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

Many patients with cancer suffer from pain due to bone metastases. In these cases, radiation therapy is often effective, but some patients do not experience pain relief or those who do may experience recurrence. However, a oninvasive magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment that heats the cancer within the bone may offer a new alternative, according to a phase 3 clinical trial published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researchers randomly assigned 147 patients to MRgFUS or sham therapy. The MRgFUS targeted tumors in the bone and aimed to heat the tumor tissue between 65 and 85 degrees Celsius. Sixty-four percent reported experiencing no pain or a significant reduction in pain at 3 months, and many patients were able to discontinue opioid use. Many also experienced significant pain reduction within days of treatment, according to the study. Next steps involve refining the treatment and evaluating the use of MRgFUS in conjunction with radiation and explore its use in other therapies, the researchers said.