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BREAST CANCER
Osteoporosis drug may counter negative effects of chemotherapy.
THE QUESTION Chemotherapy can contribute to bone loss; might a drug used to combat osteoporosis help maintain bone mass in women undergoing this treatment for breast cancer?
THIS STUDY randomly assigned 101 pre-menopausal women with early-stage breast cancer to receive injections of the osteoporosis drug zoledronic acid (Zometa) or a placebo every three months. Injections were started after surgery but before chemotherapy began, and all women took calcium and Vitamin D supplements. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements showed that women given the placebo had lost bone mass by 4 percent at the spine and 3 percent at the hip after a year, whereas BMD had stayed stable in those given the drug. No serious side effects were recorded in either group, but women taking Zometa reported more eye discomfort than the others.
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Pre-menopausal women planning to have chemotherapy for breast cancer. The treatment can induce early menopause, and the resulting estrogen deficiency has been linked to bone loss that can lead to fractures. In the United States, about 55,000 women younger than 55 are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
CAVEATS The study was not long enough to determine whether women injected with the drug ultimately developed osteoporosis or had fewer broken bones.
FIND THIS STUDY Aug. 18 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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