New procedure at Freeman Health System helps spinal cancer patients

A new treatment at Freeman Health System called Osteo-Cool is helping patients with spinal tumors.

Doctors Atman Shah of the Freeman Cancer Institute and neurosurgeon Joshua Sweaney say the procedure, which involves a balloon kyphoplasty, stabilizes painful spinal discs compressed by the cancer.

Patient Janice Grainger from Stockton – who has had multiple myeloma since 2015 – says OsteoCool took away virtually all of her pain, allowing her to get off painkillers and return to normal life.

Dr. Sweaney performed the OsteoCool procedure on Grainger along with the vertebral-stabilizing procedure.

That procedure is done using the same incision sites and inserting an orthopaedic balloon to raise the collapsed vertebrae creating a cavity.  The space is then filled with a special surgical cement to support the surrounding bone and prevent further collapse.

Dr. Shah is hopeful the procedure can soon be utilized by orthopaedic surgeons for skeletal metastases away from the spine.  And Grainger, who can no go shopping with her sister in Joplin, said she would recommend it to everyone in pain from their tumors.

“I suffered so song with extreme pain in my back, and it helped instantly,” Grainger said.

For more information visit freemanhealth.com/osteocool.