Cancer Treatment Today

ODG recommends epidural injections only in the acute phase of pain and specifically does NOT recommend a series of three. Epidural injections were subject of a TEC assessment, which concluded: ....The average magnitude of effect is small, and the generalizability of the observation is limited by the small number of studies, limited to highly selected patient populations, the few techniques and doses studied, and variable comparison treatments....Their

The percutaneous laser discectomy is a procedure which consists of passing a side firing laser probe into specific regions of a lumbar or cervical disc under X-Ray visualization. The lasery is then directed at the "degenerate" tissues, with the purported effect to reduce inflammation in the disc and to reduce pressure upon nerves passing over the disc protrusion. A recent review(Schenk et al) states that the success rates in the larger studies varied

Local control of osteosarcoma primarily is a surgical problem, but histologic response to neoadjuvant therapy is the single most important prognostic factor for long-term survival in nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremity.IA therapy might be able to provide better guidance but this is not proven. Currently, doxorubicin, cisplatin, high-dose methotrexate with leucovorin rescue and ifosfamide are considered the most active agents against osteosarcoma.

Osteoid osteoma is a benign osteoblastic tumor. The literature suggests a history of resolving pain and healing of the lesions, but the course can be variable. The course of this disease is unpredictable and protracted, with intervals of resolution of pain that sometimes last 6-15 years. Initial treatment of osteoid osteoma remains non-operative, with medications consisting of aspirin or other NSAIDs. There is a variety of operative approaches. Surgical

OsteonecroIs a well known complication of several medical interventions, such as radiation and biphosphonates. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a known complication on of several medical interventions, such as radiation and biphosphonates. It had been described with Fosomax but began to be seen more frequently with the intravenous biphosphonates, such as Zometa. Conservative treatment is successful in approximately 50% of patients and consists of local