Clinical trial for painful spread of cancer to bones
December 16, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Certain types of cancer can metastasize, or spread, to bones. It’s the third most common place for cancer to spread, following the lungs and liver.
Bone mets, as its called, can be very, very painful and modern medicine doesn’t have much in its medicine cabinet to treat bone mets pain very well. There are some strong medications available that do work for some people, but don’t for others. Doctors sometimes provide more cancer treatment (radiotherapy, for example) to help ease the bone pain, again with success for some, not for others.
Researchers are now testing a promising new treatment to help manage pain from bone mets, called the ExAblate Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) system. The developers say that it is meant for patients whose cancer has spread to the bones but who can’t receive any more radiation therapy for palliation, or easing of the pain.
According to their website, the treatment is done by forcing ultrasound waves, heating the tissue causing the pain, destroying it. Initial tests have been successful enough that the United States FDA has approved a Phase III study, which is the last stage before approval for general use. The testing is available in one site in Israel (Chaim Sheba Medical Center‚ Tel Hashomer‚ Israel). one in Canada (Toronto General Hospital‚ Toronto‚ Ontario) and eight sites in the U.S. (California (2), Texas (2), Pennsylvania, Massachusetts (2), and New York).
To see if you or someone you know is eligible and how to contact the sites, go to Bone Mets Trial to read more information.
Good luck.
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Tags: pain blog, cancer pain, cancer spread to bones, bone mets, bone mets trial
