Palliative Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy for Intractable Cancer-Related Pain Due to Malignant Psoas Syndrome: Case Report

Uncontrollable cancer pain is a highly feared and debilitating symptom. The effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for osseous metastases with intractable cancer-related pain refractory to pharmacological therapy has been reported previously. This case report is the first to demonstrate the use of RFA to achieve pain relief in a patient suffering severe pain caused by para-aortic lymph node metastasis. A 55-year-old male complained of intractable pain in the left groin and perineum due to malignant psoas syndrome caused by metastatic para-aortic lymph nodes. The pain was refractory to medications including opioids and nerve blocks. Considering the dermatome indicating referred pain and the imaging findings, RFA of the area of invasion was performed at the L3 level. The severe pain was relieved within 24 hours without any complications. Opioids were tapered at each postoperative outpatient visit. We discuss the use of RFA for control of intractable cancer-related pain refractory to medication, including opioids.