[Management of painful bone metastases]

Bone metastases are frequently symptomatic. The pain is specific due to its pathophysiology, characteristics and treatment. Conventional antalgic pain management may be insufficient and management should be multifacetted, global and multidisciplinary. Interventional radiology procedures widen the range of possible antalgic therapies. Their role in the management of patients should be defined by a multidisciplinary team on a case-by-case review, based on the patient's symptoms and fracture risk. Additional scientific validation of the effectiveness of such therapies is needed. Recommendations on the role of interventional radiology procedures in the management of patients with symptomatic bone metastases are needed to standardize the different practices and increase the role of interventional radiology in the management of symptomatic bone metastases at the national level. Implementation of the cancer 2009-2012 project could facilitate the availability of these therapies to patients with cancer pain.