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Re: Pain control for bone mets
Christine,
I never had bone mets (only lung and brain mets), but I've heard that radiofrequency ablation (RFA, which is not radiation, but rather radio waves) can be used sometimes to deaden bone pain from mets. (Or as one IR doc said to me once, it's a great feeling to see a mets patient get off the table after the procedure and walk away without hip or leg pain.)
Regardless of what your oncologist would say, you would need to speak directly to an interventional radiologist, which is the type of doctor that performs this procedure, to determine whether mets are the cause of the pain and whether they can do the procedure.
Basically, an IR doc can sometimes us RFA to ablate the nerve that causes the pain, depending on the location.
Praying that you find relief and just exactly what is causing the pain.
Joan
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Diagnosed stage 2b in July 2003 (2.3 cm, HER2+, ER-/PR-, 7+ nodes). Treated with mastectomy (with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction), AC + T/Herceptin (off label). Cancer advanced to lung in Jan. 2007 (1 cm nodule). Started Herceptin every 3 weeks. Lung wedge resection April 2007. Cancer recurred in lung April 2008. RFA of lung in August 2008. 2nd annual brain MRI in Oct. 2008 discovered 2.6 cm cystic tumor in left frontal lobe. Craniotomy Oct. 2008 (ER-/PR-/HER2-) followed by targeted radiation (IMRT). Coughing up blood Feb. 2009. Thoractomy July 2009 to cut out fungal ball of common soil fungus (aspergillus) that grew in the RFA cavity (most likely inhaled while gardening). No cancer, only fungus. Removal of tiny melanoma from upper left arm, plus sentinel lymph node biopsy in Feb. 2016. Guardant Health liquid biopsy in Feb. 2016 showed mutations in 4 subtypes of TP53. Repeat of Guardant Health biopsy in Jana. 2021 showed 3 TP53 mutations, BRCA1 mutation and CHEK2 mutation. Invitae genetic testing showed negative for all of these. Living with MBC since 2007. Stopped Herceptin Hylecta (injection) treatment in March 2020. Recent 2023 annual CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis and annual brain MRI showed NED. Praying for NED forever!!
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