3.3.1. Ablation Techniques

Thermal ablation techniques, including radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation, are minimally invasive treatments that create local tissue necrosis around the tip of a needle by heating or freezing the tissue, respectively. These therapies have also been applied in patients with DTC-BM [70,71]. Another ablation technique is microwave ablation, which uses electromagnetic waves to increase the intra-tumoral temperature. After the application of these ablation therapies for BM, consolidation with surgical or percutaneous techniques is required for the sites exposed to mechanical stress to avoid secondary pathological fractures [69]. Ablation techniques, which are available either alone or in combination with cementoplasty, are found to be effective and safe treatments for painful metastases [70]. Although thermal ablation techniques are usually used for palliation or for the prevention of symptoms from BM, in the selected patients they have a potentially curative role, which should be further explored and which can be advanced in the future [72].
