Kawamata 1996.

Methods	Randomised control trial (RCT) UB (unblinded)
Participants	21; M/F = 9/12; age: 62.3 Inclusion criteria: severe pain; palliative care unit Exclusion criteria: not stated. No significant differences between the 2 groups with regards to sex, age, weight and survival time
Interventions	CPB (X‐ray posterior bilateral 15 to 20 ml 80% alcohol) versus analgesic therapy (NSAID, morphine)
Outcomes	Pain relief (VAS); quality of Life (QoL)
Notes	Morphine consumption and the VAS score were recorded at regular weekly intervals and the performance status and the QoL score were measured every 2 weeks thereafter. In the results, although the VAS scores were lower in the CPB group than in the control group, they were maintained at about 3 to 4 cm in both groups. Thus, the pain management in both groups appeared to be sufficient.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	The generation of the allocation sequence is not specified in the text
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not stated in the text
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	The authors were not blinded to the allocated interventions