New studies suggest that MRI focused Ultrasound? can reduce cancer pain due to metastases to the bone.

The various treatment modalities tried for bone metastases include surgery, radiation, drugs etc. Surgery to remove the lesion may not be feasible in most cases because of multiple bony metastases or poor general condition of the patient from advanced cancer.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy ionizing radiation to injure or destroy cancer cells. Another type of radiation therapy called radiopharmaceutical therapy, involves injecting into a vein a radioactive substance such as strontium-89. This substance is attracted to areas of bone containing cancer. Providing radiation directly to the bone in this way destroys active cancer cells in the bone and can relieve symptoms. Two important side effects of this cancer treatment are decreased blood counts with increased risk of bleeding, and rarely, leukemia.

In ?MRI focused Ultrasound,? the MRI is used to locate accurately the lesion in the bone and while doing the MRI, the ultrasound waves are focused on the painful tumour, which heats up and destroys the tissue in the outer membrane of the bone that contains the pain causing nerves. The focused ultrasound is then moved to an area next to the treated location and this new area is treated. The advantages of the technique are that it is non-invasive, possibility of damage to other tissues is minimal and it is quite effective.

Doctors at The Methodist Hospital in Houston are studying ways to use this new technology, in their new trial. "Bone metastases are one of the most common causes of pain for cancer patients," said Dr. King Li, chair of the department of radiology at The Methodist Hospital and principal investigator for the trial. ?Unfortunately, current treatments to relieve this intense pain are very limited.?

Publisher: Dr Nitha Thejal

Source:
Author: Dr Nitha Thejal
Date: Thursday, November 06, 2008

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