Reduced pain and improved mobility gained when part of treatment plan for vertebral compression fractures in those with multiple myeloma, says largest study to date
Treating non-osteoporotic compression fractures in patients with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, shows that the use of vertebroplasty-a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists using imaging guidance that stabilizes collapsed vertebrae with the injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine-results in a reduction of pain, medication usage and disability, according to researchers in the largest study of its kind at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.
"The minimally invasive, image-guided treatment of vertebroplasty is an integral component to the complicated treatment of multiple myeloma, an incurable (yet treatable) cancer of the bone marrow that causes destructive lesions in bones and makes them more susceptible to fracture. By reducing pain and improving mobility, vertebroplasty helps patients become better equipped to continue with their rigorous treatment for multiple myeloma," said Eren Erdem, M.D., associate professor of radiology and neurosurgery and chief of interventional neuroradiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. "There are many studies reporting the effectiveness of vertebroplasty in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. With 792 patients, this is the largest study to date in the treatment of compression fractures in multiple myeloma patients," he added.
"Vertebral compression fractures are very common in patients with multiple myeloma and cause severe pain and debilitation. Patients can experience compression of abdominal contents and a decrease in lung capacity, resulting in weight loss, anorexia and a reduced ability to perform normal daily functions," Erdem noted. "In our study, patients' pain from their spinal fractures was significantly reduced following vertebroplasty, resulting in about a 40 percent reduction in the use of narcotics for pain control," said Erdem, with half of the patients also reporting an improvement in their activity level following treatment.