Dfine has announced that data presented at the American Society of Spine Radiology annual meeting (21–24 February, Scottsdale, USA) support previous clinical reports of targeted radiofrequency ablation (t-RFA) using the company’s STAR tumour ablation system for the treatment of malignant lesions of the spine.
According to a company press release, the presentation, titled “Targeted radiofrequency ablation of malignant spine lesions before cement augmentation using novel bipolar navigational device,” by Bassem Georgy, assistant clinical professor of Radiology at the University of California, San Diego, noted improved pain and functional status in all patients following treatment using the STAR System.
Georgy treated 34 spinal lesions in 22 patients with varied malignancies using t-RFA. Cases were followed by augmentation with high-viscosity cement in vertebral bodies with pathologic fractures, or in cases where the structural integrity of the vertebra was significantly compromised. The STAR System permitted minimally invasive access to all spinal lesions, regardless of location. Post-ablation MRI and PET scans showed decreased tumour volume and metabolic activity, respectively.
Additionally, clinically significant pain relief (>30% change) was reported, with decrease in average Visual Analogue score from 7.1 pre-procedure to 4.75 post-procedure. Function, as assessed by Oswestry Disability Index scores, improved from 25.6 to 18.5 post-procedure, which represents improvement from a moderate to minimal disability level. All procedures were performed safely with no complications or thermal injury.
“The STAR System provides an entirely new tool to deliver rapid pain relief from metastatic vertebral body tumours in a single, minimally invasive treatment,” Georgy said. “Not only does this result in a restoration of quality of life for my patients, there is minimal delay to their primary cancer treatment.”
“Presentation of this data by leading clinicians adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of DFINE’s radiofrequency targeted therapies for the treatment of vertebral pathologies,” said Kevin Mosher, chief executive officer of DFINE.
