Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39890640›Full record

SynthesisSkeletal radiology2025

Image-guided cryoablation for palliation of painful bone metastases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sarah Torabi, Mohadese Ahmadzade, Hamed Ghorani, Masoumeh Sarvari, Hamidreza Rouientan, Kelly Trinh, Gita Manzari Tavakoli, Mahshad Afsharzadeh, Raul Nirmal Uppot, Mohammad Ghasemi-Rad

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Skeletal radiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sarah TorabiAdvanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Research Center (ADIR), Medical Imaging Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohadese AhmadzadeDepartment of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Hamed GhoraniAdvanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Research Center (ADIR), Medical Imaging Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Masoumeh SarvariAdvanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Research Center (ADIR), Medical Imaging Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hamidreza RouientanSchool of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Kelly TrinhSchool of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Gita Manzari TavakoliAdvanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Research Center (ADIR), Medical Imaging Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahshad AfsharzadehAdvanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Research Center (ADIR), Medical Imaging Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Raul Nirmal UppotDepartment of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Mohammad Ghasemi-RadDepartment of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. mdghrad@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the efficacy of cryoablation in controlling pain from metastatic bone lesions. MATERIALS AND

methodsA systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane library, and Web of Science was conducted from inception to April 2024, focusing on cryoablation for palliation of painful bone metastases. The inclusion criteria were as follows: studies involving patients over 18 years of age who were affected by bone metastases; bone metastases treated with stand-alone cryoablation; studies reporting patients' pain levels before and at least at one time point after cryoablation; and studies published in English.

resultsA total of 844 articles were initially screened, resulting in 12 articles involving 309 patients included. Pain assessments were conducted at various time points ranging from 1 day to 6 months after the cryoablation procedure. Included studies reported significant improvements in pain scores based on the visual analog scale (VAS), the numeric rating scale (NRS) and brief pain inventory-short form (BPI-SF) following treatment at 1, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. The most notable mean difference between pre- and post-procedure pain scores was observed at 12 weeks, with a standardized mean difference of -3.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.29 to -2.00; p < 0.001). Regarding pain relief outcomes, by the fourth week, the proportion of patients experiencing pain relief was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.62 to 0.75; p < 0.001).

conclusionsCryoablation could be an effective method for palliation of painful bone metastases. Further studies are needed to compare its efficacy with other palliative methods and to define its role in cancer management.

Indexed as

Bone NeoplasmsCancer PainCryosurgeryPain ManagementPalliative CareSurgery, Computer-AssistedHumansPain MeasurementCryoablationInterventional radiologyMeta-analysisMetastasisPain

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.