Medical Oncologist
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Bone cement for a spine bone weakened by cancer | CION Cancer Clinics
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty inject bone cement through a needle into a spine bone that cancer has cracked or weakened. The cement hardens, steadies the bone and often eases the pain within days. Kyphoplasty uses a small balloon first. Neither treats the cancer itself. This page explains how they are done, who they suit, and the risks to ask about. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What are vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty?
- How are the two procedures different?
- What happens during the procedure?
- Who is it likely to help, and who does it not suit?
- What do families believe about the cement, and what is true?
- What are the risks, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
The short answer
What are vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty?
Both inject bone cement through a needle into a spine bone that cancer has weakened or cracked. The cement sets hard within minutes, steadies the bone and often eases the pain quickly. Kyphoplasty first opens a small balloon inside the bone to make space for the cement.
Why a cracked spine bone hurts so much
When cancer thins a vertebra, the bone can crumple under your own weight. This is called a compression fracture. Every movement shifts the broken pieces, so the pain is often worst when you turn in bed, sit up or stand. Cement fixes the pieces in place.
It is done through the skin, not an open cut
You lie on your front. Using live X-ray pictures, the doctor guides a needle through the skin of your back into the bone. There is no long wound and no stitches, usually just a small dressing.
What it does not do
It does not treat the cancer. It steadies the bone and helps pain. Radiotherapy, medicines or both are still usually needed for the tumour itself. It also does not take pressure off the spinal cord or free a trapped nerve. If the scan shows tumour pressing on the cord, the team will talk about surgery or radiotherapy instead.
Why families often hear about it late
Back pain in someone with cancer is easy to put down to age, a bad mattress or a long bus journey. By the time a scan is done, the bone may already have cracked. If a parent with cancer has new back pain that is worse at night or when lying flat, ask the oncologist for a spine scan rather than waiting for it to settle.
Side by side
How are the two procedures different?
Vertebroplasty
Kyphoplasty
Cement is pushed straight into the bone
A balloon makes a space first, then cement fills it
Slightly thinner needles
Slightly wider tubes for the balloon
Does not aim to restore height
May restore a little of the lost height
Usually costs less
The balloon kit adds to the cost
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistOn the day
What happens during the procedure?
Before you go in
Blood tests, including clotting, and a recent MRI or CT of the spine. Tell the team about blood thinners. Do not stop any medicine on your own. They will tell you exactly what to do and when not to eat.
Numbing and sedation
You usually have a local anaesthetic injection to numb the skin and bone, plus medicine through a drip to relax you. Some centres use a full general anaesthetic instead.
The cement
The needle is guided into the bone on X-ray. The cement is watched on the screen as it goes in, so the doctor can stop if it starts to move where it should not.
Lying flat, then home
You rest on your back for a short while as the cement hardens. Many people walk the same day and go home that day or the next.
Who it is for
Who is it likely to help, and who does it not suit?
Your team decides this from the scans, the pattern of the pain and the rest of your treatment.
Often considered
For people whose pain comes from a cracked or collapsing spine bone, where the back of the bone is still intact.
Common situations
- Myeloma affecting the spine
- Spread from breast, lung, kidney or prostate cancer
- Pain that stops you sitting, standing or sleeping
Usually not suitable
When tumour or bone is already pressing on the spinal cord, when the back wall of the bone is broken, or when the spine is unstable and needs screws and rods.
Cement cannot relieve pressure on the cord. That needs surgery or radiotherapy.Needs a closer look
An infection anywhere in the body, a bleeding problem that cannot be corrected, or pain that is really coming from a trapped nerve rather than the broken bone.
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One thing that cannot wait
If, before or after the procedure, you notice new weakness or numbness in the legs, trouble passing urine or stools, or new sudden breathlessness or chest pain, go to the nearest emergency department the same day. Say you have cancer in the spine and have had, or are waiting for, cement treatment. Do not wait for the next clinic visit.
Commonly believed
What do families believe about the cement, and what is true?
"Once the cement is in, the cancer in that bone is gone."
The cement holds the bone together. The tumour cells are still there. Your oncologist will usually plan radiotherapy or other treatment to control them.
"He is too weak for surgery, so nothing can be done for the pain."
Because it is done through a needle, people who could not cope with an open operation can often still have it. Ask whether it is an option.
"Bone cement will set off problems for years."
The cement stays in the bone for good and usually causes no trouble. The main risks are around the time of the procedure, when a small amount can leak beyond the bone.
"If the pain goes, the scans can wait."
Easier pain is a good sign, but the cancer still needs follow-up. Keep every planned scan and appointment.
Being straight with you
What are the risks, and what can this page not tell you?
This is a smaller procedure than open spine surgery, but it is not free of risk. Your doctor should explain the risks that apply at your level of the spine.
The risks you may be told about
Cement leaking outside the bone is the one doctors watch most closely. Usually a small leak causes no symptoms. Rarely, cement presses on a nerve or the cord, or travels in a vein towards the lungs. There can also be bleeding or bruising where the needle went in, infection, a short-lived rise in pain, and, over time, a crack in a neighbouring spine bone.
What the team weighs
Where the pain is coming from, whether the back wall of the bone is intact, how many bones are affected, and how radiotherapy fits around it. Ask what would happen if you chose radiotherapy or pain medicines alone.
Questions worth asking before the day
Which bone or bones will be treated, and why those. Whether a sample of bone will be taken at the same time. Who will do it, and whether a spine surgeon is available if something unexpected happens. How soon you can sit up, walk and travel home. When radiotherapy or your next cancer treatment can start.
What this page cannot tell you
How much your own pain will ease, or whether this procedure is right for you. Pain can have more than one cause. The page cannot see your scans, and the decision belongs to your treating team.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
How quickly does the pain get better?
Many people notice easier pain within a day or two, some even the same evening. Others improve more slowly, and some do not improve much, especially if part of the pain comes from a nerve. The needle site may be sore for a few days. Keep taking pain medicines as prescribed until your doctor reviews them.
Who does the procedure, a surgeon or a radiologist?
It may be done by an interventional radiologist, a spine surgeon or a pain specialist, depending on the centre. What matters is that they do it regularly and work with your oncology team. Ask your centre who will do it and how often they do.
Can more than one spine bone be treated?
Yes, several bones can be treated in one sitting, although doctors limit how much cement is used at once. The team treats the bones that match your pain and the scan findings, rather than every bone that shows cancer.
Can I still have radiotherapy to the same area?
Usually yes. The two are often combined. The cement steadies the bone quickly, and radiotherapy treats the tumour. Your radiation oncologist and the doctor doing the procedure agree the order and the timing between them.
Is it done for osteoporosis or only for cancer?
It is also used for fractures caused by thin bones in older people. With cancer, the team first checks whether a tumour is behind the fracture, and a small sample of bone is often taken through the same needle.
Will I need to wear a brace afterwards?
Usually not. The cement is meant to steady the bone on its own. Some doctors suggest a support for comfort for a short while. You will usually be encouraged to walk soon, and to avoid heavy lifting until you are told it is safe.
What should I watch for when I get home?
Fever, redness or discharge at the needle site, pain that gets steadily worse, new numbness or weakness in the legs, or trouble passing urine. Call the team the same day for any of these, or go to the nearest emergency department.
Is it covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
It is often covered when it is part of an approved cancer treatment plan. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and most cashless insurers are accepted. The balloon kit in kyphoplasty can change what is covered, so call the helpline with your card details before the date.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
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Hematologist
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Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- NICE — Percutaneous vertebroplasty and percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty (TA279)
- NICE — Spinal metastases and metastatic spinal cord compression (NG234)
- American Cancer Society — Bone metastases
- Cancer Research UK — Secondary bone cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Spinal Cord Compression: Surgery or Radiation?When cement is not enough and the cord is under pressureWhy Spinal Cord Compression Is an EmergencyThe warning signs that need same-day careSpinal Stabilisation With Rods and ScrewsThe operation used when the spine is unstableRadiation therapy guideThe treatment usually given alongside the cement
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