Celiac plexus block combined with 125I seeds for refractory epigastric pain from abdominal malignancies: a retrospective case-control study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of celiac plexus block (CPB) combined with 125I seeds implantation (ISI) for refractory epigastric pain from abdominal malignancies.

METHODS

The data of 81 patients with refractory epigastric pain [visual analog scale (VAS) score ≥ 4] from abdominal malignancies were collected in this retrospective case-control study. Group A (n = 40) was treated with CPB alone, while Group B (n = 41) underwent CPB combined with ISI. The primary study endpoints were the VAS score, quality of life (QoL), and local tumor control (LTC) rate. The secondary endpoints were complications, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The VAS scores at week 2 (T2), week 4 (T4), week 8 (T8), and week 12 (T12) in both groups were significantly lower compared with the pretreatment values (all P < 0.01). VAS scores in Group B showed a sustained decrease, especially for "mild pain" and "moderate pain," while the VAS scores in Group A rebounded at T8 and T12 (both P < 0.01). The QoL in Group B improved significantly from T4 until T12, which better than that at T12 in Group A (all P < 0.01). The LTC rates at T8 were 35.0% and 92.7% in Groups A and B, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.01). Group B had a slightly lower complication rate and a slightly longer median PFS/OS than group A, but neither was statistically different (P = 0.09 and P = 0.99, respectively).

CONCLUSION

CPB combined with ISI performs more sustained pain relief (up to 12 weeks) compared to CPB alone, and ultimately improves the patients' QoL.