title: Treatment of osteolytic solitary painful osseous metastases with radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation: A retrospective study by propensity analysis.
abstract: The present study aimed to measure the improvement in pain relief and quality of life in patients with osteolytic solitary painful bone metastasis treated by cryoablation (CA) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Fifty patients with solitary osteolytic painful bone metastases were retrospectively studied and selected by propensity analysis. Twenty-five patients underwent CA and the remaining twenty-five underwent RFA. Pain relief, in terms of complete response (CR), the number of patients requiring analgesia and the changes in self-rated quality of life (QoL) were measured following the two treatments. Thirty-two percent of patients treated by CA experienced a CR at 12 weeks versus 20% of patients treated by RFA. The rate of CR increased significantly with respect to baseline only in the group treated by CA. In both groups there was a significant change in the partial response with respect to baseline (36% in the CA group vs. 44% in the RFA group). The recurrence rate in the CA and RFA groups was 12% and 8%, respectively. The reduction in narcotic medication requirements with respect to baseline was only significant in the group treated by CA. A significant improvement in self-rated QoL was observed in both groups. The present study seems to suggest that CA only significantly improves the rate of CR and decreases the requirement of narcotic medications. Both CA and RFA led to an improvement in the self-rated QoL of patients after the treatments. However, the results of the present study should be considered as preliminary and to serve as a framework around which future trials may be designed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zugaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology and Radiobiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: DI Staso
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology and Radiobiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gravina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology and Radiobiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonfili
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gregori
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology and Radiobiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franzese
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology and Radiobiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marampon
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomopathological Sciences, 'Sapienza' University, Rome 00185, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tombolini
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology and Radiobiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: DI Cesare
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila Medical School, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masciocchi
keywords: bone metastases; cancer; cryoablation; pain control; quality of life; radiofrequency ablation