Other treatments for secondary bone cancer

These treatments aren’t widely available and you may have to travel to another hospital to have them. Your doctor will let you know if these treatments are suitable  for you.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

This treatment uses heat to destroy cancer cells. It can help to relieve pain| that hasn’t responded to radiotherapy and is usually only used to treat small secondary bone tumours.

RFA is done under a general anaesthetic. A doctor places a needle into the bone tumour. This is usually done using  a CT scanner to make sure the needle is in the right place. Radio waves are then passed down the needle into the tumour to heat, and so destroy, the cancer cells.

There are very few side effects with this treatment, although it’s quite common for people to have some pain or discomfort and to feel tired|. You usually need to stay in hospital overnight after this treatment.

Embolisation

Embolisation involves injecting a drug directly into the secondary bone cancer. The drug causes the blood vessels in the tumour  to become blocked, which starves the tumour of nutrients and oxygen. This can cause the tumour to shrink and can help to relieve pain and spinal cord compression|. Embolisation is mainly used to treat secondary bone tumours  in people with primary kidney (renal) cancer| and some types  of thyroid cancer|. The treatment can be repeated if necessary.