Kastler, A., Alnassan, H., Pereira, P.L., Alemann, G., Barbe, D.A., Aubry, S., . . . Kastler, B. (2013). Analgesic effects of microwave ablation of bone and soft tissue tumors under local anesthesia. Pain Medicine, 14, 1873–1881.

To evaluate the probability and usefulness of ablation on pain when performed via local anesthesia

Lesions targeted included spinal, sacral, and extraspinal. A visual analog scale was used to evaluate pain from 0–10 pre- and post-procedure, after one week, at 3 months, at 6 months, and at 12 months. Only three patients had data at 12 months.

• N = 15
• AGE: Not defined
• MALES, FEMALES: Not defined
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Lesions included spinal, sacral, and extraspinal locations.

• SITE: Single site
• SETTING TYPE: Not specified

• PHASE OF CARE: End-of-life care
• APPLICATIONS: Palliative care

• Retrospective study

• Visual analog scale from 0–10

The mean ablation time was 4.09 minutes, with an average of 4.2 cycles and mean ablation power of 60 W. Pre-procedure pain score was 7.2 (SD = 0.97). Post-procedure, mean visual analog scale scores were 1.64 on day 0, 1.82 on day 7, and 2.05 by the end of one month. At three months, the mean pain score was 2.13, and at six months, it was 2.36. One patient had no pain relief by one month, and follow-up was discontinued. One patient had a soft tissue abscess at the ablation site, which was drained. No other major or minor complications were found.

Microwave ablation of bone lesions may have some promise for relief of bone pain in patients with cancer.

• Small sample
• No comparison group
• No blinding

This study suggests that microwave ablation of painful bone lesions may be feasible and may substantially reduce bone pain. This was an extremely small sample. Further well-designed studies are warranted.