Our center specializes in the comprehensive management of metastatic bone disease, providing patients with advanced treatment options focused on pain control, structural stability, and maintaining quality of life while coordinating care with their primary Oncology team.
Common Primary Cancers with Bone Metastases
We provide expert care for bone metastases from various primary cancers including:
- Breast Cancer: The most common cancer that metastasizes to bone, often forming osteolytic lesions that require stabilization and bisphosphonate therapy.
- Prostate Cancer: Typically causes osteoblastic (bone-forming) metastases that can lead to pain and spinal cord compression.
- Lung Cancer: Frequently spreads to bone, often causing painful lesions with high risk of pathological fractures.
- Renal Cell Carcinoma: Known for highly vascular bone metastases that may require preoperative embolization before surgical intervention.
- Thyroid Cancer: Often causes osteolytic lesions that may be responsive to radioactive iodine therapy.
- Multiple Myeloma: A plasma cell disorder that primarily affects bone, causing lytic lesions, pain, and fractures.
Our Comprehensive Treatment Approach
Our multidisciplinary approach to metastatic bone disease includes:
- Risk Assessment and Prognostication: Evaluating fracture risk using scoring systems like Mirels' criteria to determine need for prophylactic stabilization.
- Pathological Fracture Management: Surgical stabilization of fractures caused by metastatic lesions using intramedullary nailing, joint replacement, or plate fixation.
- Prophylactic Stabilization: Preventive surgery for impending fractures based on lesion size, location, and symptoms to avoid catastrophic fracture.
- Spinal Metastasis Management: Treatment of vertebral metastases including vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, spinal stabilization, and decompression for spinal cord compression.
- Multimodal Pain Management: Comprehensive approach including medications, radiation therapy, radiopharmaceuticals, and interventional procedures.
- Medical Management: Coordination with Oncology for bone-targeting agents including bisphosphonates, denosumab, and other systemic therapies.
Surgical Techniques for Metastatic Bone Disease
We employ specialized surgical techniques tailored to metastatic bone disease:
- Intramedullary nailing for long bone metastases (femur, humerus)
- Endoprosthetic reconstruction for periarticular metastases
- Plate fixation with cement augmentation for selected lesions
- Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for painful vertebral compression fractures
- Spinal instrumentation and decompression for spinal metastases
- Acetabular reconstruction with specialized cages and hardware
- Preoperative embolization for hypervascular tumors (renal, thyroid)
Palliative Care and Quality of Life Focus
Our approach emphasizes maintaining quality of life through:
- Multimodal pain management strategies
- Early mobilization and rehabilitation
- Psychological support and counseling services
- Coordination with palliative care specialists
- Focus on functional independence and mobility
- Advanced care planning and goals of care discussions
We understand the complex challenges faced by patients with metastatic bone disease. Our team is committed to providing compassionate, comprehensive care that focuses on pain relief, functional preservation, and quality of life while working closely with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and palliative care specialists to ensure coordinated, patient-centered care.
