(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research suggests a minimally invasive procedure called osteoplasty provides immediate and substantial pain relief to cancer patients who are suffering from metastatic bone disease and have no other pain relief options.

Osteoplasty involves injecting bone cement to support weakened bones. Researchers say the procedure often presents some patients with the so-called "Lazarus effect," providing a patient with the ability to walk for several hours.

"I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to provide relief to patients who are dying from their cancers," Giovanni C. Anselmetti, M.D., an interventional radiologist at the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment in Turin, Italy, was quoted as saying. "In most cases we can provide pain relief, restore function for them to do daily activities and help them stay ambulatory."

SOURCE: Society of Interventional Radiology online, March 2009