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heblaj01 · 11-28-2006, 09:12 AM

This experimental procedure appears to provide much longer lasting pain relief than RF ablation

Freezing Tumors That Cause Metastatic Cancer Pain Appears To Provide Long-Term Relief for Patients: Presented at RSNA

By Ed Susman CHICAGO, I.L. -- November 27, 2006 -- Minimally invasive procedures that turn metastatic cancer lesions into iceballs appears to effectively relieve pain among patients who have not had success with other analgesic modalities, researchers said here at the 92[nd scientific assembly and annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). [list]"The treatment is safe. The pain relief is dramatic and durable," said Matthew Callstrom, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiology, Mayo Clinic college of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Callstrom reported in an oral presentation on November 26th that within 4 weeks of treatment 30% of the patients who were treated were free of pain and 68% of patients were able to report a 3-point decrease in pain scores on a validated pain score inventory. "Our preliminary results suggest that cryoablation provides an alternative treatment for patients with painful metastatic disease," Dr. Callstrom said. "It is important to note that these are patients who have failed conventional therapies." In the on-going clinical evaluation of cryoablation of painful metastases is designed to enroll a total of 30 patients with a variety of cancer metastases. He reported on 28 of those patients who have 2 to 24 weeks of follow-up. The researchers scrutinized the ability of cryoablation to relieve pain rather compared with other methods, such as radiofrequency ablation. Dr. Callstrom said that while radiofrequency ablation is successful in reducing pain associated with cancer metastasis, it can take as long as 6 weeks for pain to be reduced to normal and in 70% of cases, pain actually increased immediately after treatment.
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11-28-2006, 09:12 AM	#1
heblaj01 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 543	Freezing Tumors That Cause Metastatic Cancer for long term relief This experimental procedure appears to provide much longer lasting pain relief than RF ablation Freezing Tumors That Cause Metastatic Cancer Pain Appears To Provide Long-Term Relief for Patients: Presented at RSNA By Ed Susman CHICAGO, I.L. -- November 27, 2006 -- Minimally invasive procedures that turn metastatic cancer lesions into iceballs appears to effectively relieve pain among patients who have not had success with other analgesic modalities, researchers said here at the 92[nd scientific assembly and annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). [list]"The treatment is safe. The pain relief is dramatic and durable," said Matthew Callstrom, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiology, Mayo Clinic college of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Callstrom reported in an oral presentation on November 26th that within 4 weeks of treatment 30% of the patients who were treated were free of pain and 68% of patients were able to report a 3-point decrease in pain scores on a validated pain score inventory. "Our preliminary results suggest that cryoablation provides an alternative treatment for patients with painful metastatic disease," Dr. Callstrom said. "It is important to note that these are patients who have failed conventional therapies." In the on-going clinical evaluation of cryoablation of painful metastases is designed to enroll a total of 30 patients with a variety of cancer metastases. He reported on 28 of those patients who have 2 to 24 weeks of follow-up. The researchers scrutinized the ability of cryoablation to relieve pain rather compared with other methods, such as radiofrequency ablation. Dr. Callstrom said that while radiofrequency ablation is successful in reducing pain associated with cancer metastasis, it can take as long as 6 weeks for pain to be reduced to normal and in 70% of cases, pain actually increased immediately after treatment. (Continued...)