Pain management: The rising role of interventional oncology

Patients with early or metastatic cancer may suffer from pain of different origins. The vast majority of these patients are not adequately treated by means of systemic analgesia and radiotherapy. Percutaneous neurolysis is performed using chemical agents or thermal energy upon sympathetic nervous system plexus for pain reduction and life quality improvement. Ablation and vertebral augmentation are included in clinical guidelines for metastatic disease. As far as the peripheral skeleton is concerned bone augmentation and stabilization can be performed by means of cement injection either solely performed or in combination to cannulated screws or other metallic or peek implants. This review describes the basic concepts of interventional oncology techniques as therapies for cancer pain management. The necessity for a tailored-based approach applying different techniques for different cases and locations will be addressed.