Interventional Radiology Management of Bone Metastasis Pain: Strategies and Techniques

Osseous metastases are common in cancer patients, and pain is one of the most frequent associated symptoms. The management of cancer-related pain is still problematic worldwide with 40 to 50% of patients still being undertreated. A significant proportion of cancer patients will require discontinuation of traditional analgesic treatments such as opioids due to unsuccessful pain relief or severe unmanageable toxicity and may, therefore, benefit from alternative treatments. Over the last few decades, several interventional radiology (IR) minimally invasive treatment options have been introduced into the cancer pain management toolbox and can be proposed to cancer patients. This article reviews the main IR treatment options for painful bone metastases which include vertebral augmentation, percutaneous osteosynthesis, tumoral ablation, electrochemotherapy, intra-arterial therapies, and percutaneous neurolysis.