Bone Cement Eases Pain of Late-Stage Cancers

Related Encyclopedia • Adenocarcinoma of the Lung and Brain Metastases • Basal Cell Carcinoma • Bladder Cancer • Bone Cancer More... Related Healthscout Videos Tracking Breast Cancer with Less Pain No More Biopsies? Dealing with Dying 5 Breast Cancer Myths More... Related Animations • Breast Self-Exam Video • Colon Cancer More... Related Drug Information • Epogen • Iressa • Procrit • Topamax More... Related News Articles • Breast Cancer Stats Differ Racially Despite Similar Mammogram Rates • MRI May Not Add Value to Routine Breast Cancer Care • Few Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer Take Tamoxifen • Hormone May Prevent Aggressive Breast Cancer More...

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2

This study involved 81 patients, aged 36 to 94 and mostly female, who underwent osteoplasty at least once. Seventy-four of the participants had cancer, while a handful had "benign" diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The overall patient population was larger than those seen in other studies, Bukata said.

Pelvic, femur, sacrum, ribs, knee and other bones were treated.

Text Continues Below

---

The mean pain score dropped significantly within 24 hours of the procedure. Sixty-four of the patients (79 percent) were able to discontinue use of narcotics and 43 (53 percent) also stopped using any other pain medications. Only five of the patients showed no improvement in pain. There were no deaths or major complications.

The procedure could also be used to avoid massive surgery later in life, Bukata said.

"There's a lack of an awareness of some of the options for patients that have painful bone metastases," Montgomery added. "It's physician education as much as it is patient education."

More information

The American Cancer Society has more on bone metastasis.

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2