Study: Heat kills benign bone tumors

SEATTLE, March 2 (UPI) -- Benign bone tumors can be destroyed without surgery using heat, Canadian researchers said Friday.

The technique -- called radiofrequency ablation -- was tested in a study of patents with a benign bone tumor known as osteoid osteoma. In 91 percent of the patients the procedure immediately eliminated the pain caused by the tumors with no post-procedure complications and no need for an extended rehabilitation and recovery, the researchers said.

The procedure works by heating and destroying the bone tumor's nerve endings, they said, while preserving the patients' healthy bone.

"Our research showed the interventional treatment's success rate is as good as surgery's, but without the risk," said interventional radiologist Eran Hayeems of the University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. "Plus, almost all of our patients walked out of the hospital within hours of the procedure pain-free."

The research was presented Friday at the 32nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology

The radiofrequency ablation treatment is available throughout the United States, is Food and Drug Administration-approved and is covered by most insurance providers, the researchers noted.

In the procedure, an interventional radiologist first pinpoints the bone tumor using computer tomography, then inserts the needle into the correct area while monitoring the heat to ensure the entire tumor is destroyed.