Radiofrequency ablation for palliative treatment of osseous metastases results in rapid, significant, and durable improvements in pain relief and quality of life: Results from the OPuS One trial.
12086 Background: Patients with bone metastases may experience pain and decreased quality of life. Standard of care therapies such as radiation therapy could take weeks for pain relief and carry a risk of radiation induced fracture. Minimally invasive percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have been shown in small observational studies to be an alternative treatment for bone metastases. We report the results of the OPuS One trial evaluating RFA for the palliative treatment of patients with painful bone metastases. Methods: OPuS One (NCT03249584) was a multicenter prospective trial. 218 subjects with painful bone metastases (≥ 4/10 worst pain scores, Brief Pain Inventory [BPI], at target treated site) were enrolled from 15 sites. RFA was performed under image guidance at one or two locations. Vertebral augmentation was followed based on physician’s discretion. Subjects’ pain (BPI) and quality of life (EQ-5D) scores were calculated in subjects at three days, one week, and one, three, six, and 12 months post RFA. Rate of complete (0 pain score at treated site with no concomitant analgesic increase) and partial responders (≥ 2 pain score reduction without analgesic increase or analgesic reduction of ≥ 25% from baseline) were calculated. Device-, procedure-, and/or therapy-related adverse events (AEs) were collected. Results: 206 subjects, 113 (55%) female and 93 (45%) males (mean age was 63.7 years) were treated with RFA. Most common primary cancers were breast (23%), lung (23%), and kidney (10%). 184 (89%) subjects were treated for metastatic lesions involving the thoracolumbar spine and 22 (11%) subjects were treated for iliac crest, periacetabulum, sacrum or mixed vertebral and pelvic location. 99% (262/264) of RFA procedures were technically successful and 97% were followed by vertebral augmentation. Subjects reported significant improvement in worst pain from baseline at 7.8 to 5.5, 4.7, 3.6, 3.2, 2.4, and 2.6 at three days, one week and one, three, six, and 12 months post RFA, respectively (p < 0.0001 for all visits). Significant improvements were also seen in average pain (p < 0.0001 for all visits), pain interference (p < 0.0001 for all visits), and quality of life scores (p < 0.0001 for all visits). Overall response rates were 53%, 58%, 61%, 63%, 70%, and 75% at three days, one week, one month, three months, six months, and twelve months post RFA, respectively. Six AEs were reported with three as serious: intra-abdominal fluid collection, pneumonia and respiratory failure. 82 deaths were reported during the study, none were related to the device, therapy, and/or procedure. No skeletal related events were reported. Conclusions: In a large prospective multicenter trial, OPuS One, RFA provided rapid, significant, and durable improvements in pain relief and quality of life up to 12 months. Clinical trial information: NCT03249584.
Impact of Balloon Guide Catheter Use on Clinical and Angiographic Outcomes in the STRATIS Stroke Thrombectomy Registry
Background and Purpose— Mechanical thrombectomy has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the impact of balloon guide catheter (BGC) use is not well established. Methods— STRATIS (Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke) was a prospective, multicenter study of patients with large vessel occlusion treated with the Solitaire stent retriever as first-line therapy. In this study, an independent core laboratory, blinded to the clinical outcomes, reviewed all procedures and angiographic data to classify procedural technique, target clot location, recanalization after each pass, and determine the number of stent retriever passes. The primary clinical end point was functional independence (modified Rankin Scale, 0–2) at 3 months as determined on-site, and the angiographic end point was first-pass effect (FPE) success rate from a single device attempt (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction, ≥2c) as determined by a core laboratory. Achieving modified FPE (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction, ≥2b) was also assessed. Comparisons of clinical outcomes were made between groups and adjusted for baseline and procedural characteristics. All participating centers received institutional review board approval from their respective institutions. Results— Adjunctive technique groups included BGC (n=445), distal access catheter (n=238), and conventional guide catheter (n=62). The BGC group had a higher rate of FPE following first pass (212/443 [48%]) versus conventional guide catheter (16/62 [26%]; P =0.001) and distal access catheter (83/235 [35%]; P =0.002). Similarly, the BGC group had a higher rate of modified FPE (294/443 [66%]) versus conventional guide catheter (26/62 [42%]; P <0.001) and distal access catheter (129/234 [55%]; P =0.003). The BGC group achieved the highest rate of functional independence (253/415 [61%]) versus conventional guide catheter (23/55 [42%]; P =0.007) and distal access catheter (113/218 [52%]; P =0.027). Final revascularization and mortality rates did not differ across the groups. Conclusions— BGC use was an independent predictor of FPE, modified FPE, and functional independence, suggesting that its routine use may improve the rates of early revascularization success and good clinical outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02239640.
Interhospital Transfer Before Thrombectomy Is Associated With Delayed Treatment and Worse Outcome in the STRATIS Registry (Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke)
Background: Endovascular treatment with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is beneficial for patients with acute stroke suffering a large-vessel occlusion, although treatment efficacy is highly time-dependent. We hypothesized that interhospital transfer to endovascular-capable centers would result in treatment delays and worse clinical outcomes compared with direct presentation. Methods: STRATIS (Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke) was a prospective, multicenter, observational, single-arm study of real-world MT for acute stroke because of anterior-circulation large-vessel occlusion performed at 55 sites over 2 years, including 1000 patients with severe stroke and treated within 8 hours. Patients underwent MT with or without intravenous tissue plasminogen activator and were admitted to endovascular-capable centers via either interhospital transfer or direct presentation. The primary clinical outcome was functional independence (modified Rankin Score 0–2) at 90 days. We assessed (1) real-world time metrics of stroke care delivery, (2) outcome differences between direct and transfer patients undergoing MT, and (3) the potential impact of local hospital bypass. Results: A total of 984 patients were analyzed. Median onset-to-revascularization time was 202.0 minutes for direct versus 311.5 minutes for transfer patients ( P <0.001). Clinical outcomes were better in the direct group, with 60.0% (299/498) achieving functional independence compared with 52.2% (213/408) in the transfer group (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.79; P =0.02). Likewise, excellent outcome (modified Rankin Score 0–1) was achieved in 47.4% (236/498) of direct patients versus 38.0% (155/408) of transfer patients (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–1.92; P =0.005). Mortality did not differ between the 2 groups (15.1% for direct, 13.7% for transfer; P =0.55). Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator did not impact outcomes. Hypothetical bypass modeling for all transferred patients suggested that intravenous tissue plasminogen activator would be delayed by 12 minutes, but MT would be performed 91 minutes sooner if patients were routed directly to endovascular-capable centers. If bypass is limited to a 20-mile radius from onset, then intravenous tissue plasminogen activator would be delayed by 7 minutes and MT performed 94 minutes earlier. Conclusions: In this large, real-world study, interhospital transfer was associated with significant treatment delays and lower chance of good outcome. Strategies to facilitate more rapid identification of large-vessel occlusion and direct routing to endovascular-capable centers for patients with severe stroke may improve outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02239640.