Impact of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on bone quality in a murine model of bone metastases

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 9; p. e0256076
• Main Authors: Ghomashchi, Soroush, Whyne, Cari M, Chinnery, Tricia, Habach, Fayez, Akens, Margarete K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 08.09.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Ablation; Ablation (Surgery); Age; Animal models; Animals; Backscatter; Backscattering; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomedical materials; Biophysics; Bone cancer; Bone growth; Bone Neoplasms - metabolism; Bone Neoplasms - secondary; Bone Neoplasms - surgery; Calcification, Physiologic; Cancer; Care and treatment; Collagen; Complications and side effects; Design; Disease Models, Animal; Ductility; Electron imaging; Female; General anesthesia; Health care networks; Heat; Histopathology; Homogeneity; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - metabolism; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - pathology; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - surgery; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metastases; Metastasis; Mineralization; Osteogenesis; Osteolysis; Pain; Patient outcomes; Radio frequency; Radiofrequency Ablation; Rats; Rats, Nude; Research and Analysis Methods; Risk assessment; Second harmonic generation; Surgery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Tumor cells; Tumors; Canada; Toronto Ontario Canada; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256076

Thermal therapies such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are gaining widespread clinical adoption in the local treatment of skeletal metastases. RFA has been shown to successfully destroy tumor cells, yet the impact of RFA on the quality of the surrounding bone has not been well characterized. RFA treatment was performed on femora of rats with bone metastases (osteolytic and osteoblastic) and healthy age matched rats. Histopathology, second harmonic generation imaging and backscatter electron imaging were used to characterize changes in the structure, organic and mineral components of the bone after RFA. RFA treatment was shown to be effective in targeting tumor cells and promoting subsequent new bone formation without impacting the surrounding bone negatively. Mineralization profiles of metastatic models were significantly improved post-RFA treatment with respect to mineral content and homogeneity, suggesting a positive impact of RFA treatment on the quality of cancer involved bone. Evaluating the impact of RFA on bone quality is important in directing the growth of this minimally invasive therapeutic approach with respect to fracture risk assessment, patient selection, and multimodal treatment planning.