Mets to Sternum

[Kim in DC]

I have mets to the sternum and adjacent tissues. Has anyone had radiaton to this area twice? If you have had success with this type of met, what worked for you?

[Mary Anne in TX]

Hey Kim! How did you find your mets to your sternum? I'll be praying for a quick zap of those rascals!!!! ma

[Lani]

I seem to remember someone had a sternal (breast bone) metastasis
Anticancer Res. 2007 Nov-Dec;27(6C):4259-62.
Percutaneous combined therapy for painful sternal metastases: a radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA) and cementoplasty protocol.

Masala S, Manenti G, Roselli M, Mammucari M, Bartolucci DA, Formica V, Massari F, Simonetti G.
University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Molecular Imaging, Interventional Radiology and Radiation Therapy, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy. salva.masala@tiscali.it
BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA) has recently been introduced for the treatment of painful bone metastases. We report the outcome of one combined protocol session of percutaneous RFTA and cementoplasty on a painful sternal breast cancer metastasis of a 66-year-old patient. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A sternal lesion was identified at a repeated CT scan during the oncological follow-up. Due to severe chest pain, the patient was treated percutaneously to obtain pain relief and bone stabilization. Percutaneous RFTA was performed using a 15-gauge needle electrode (MIRAS TX-120) coaxially introduced through a 13-gauge bone biopsy needle. The lesion was heated up to 80 degrees C for 3 minutes. A percutaneous injection of 1 cc polymethylmethacrylate in the central part of the lesion was performed immediately after the RFTA procedure. RESULTS: Immediate symptomatic improvement was documented. CONCLUSION: Combined percutaneous therapy showed feasibility and effectiveness and can be considered as an alternative for the treatment of painful bone metastases.
PMID: 18214029 [PubMed - in process]
Hope this helps!

[mrsd]

I have had mets to the sternum which resulted in a fracture of the sternum, very painful. I started on pamidronate and followed with five radiation treatments to the sternum, no pain now and the area of the fracture has healed, the only other drug I am currently on is Herceptin.

[Kim in DC]

thanks Lani!!

[jhandley]

Read Gina's post re. her bone met. Basically she ran out of olive leaf extract and her chest started to hurt and her bone markers went up,..she started again on them and the markers went down and pain went away.
Jackie