Drug counters bone-damaging effects of breast cancer medication
October 10th, 2011 - 2:43 pm ICT by IANSWashington, Oct 10 (IANS) An osteoporosis drug counteracts the bone damaging side-effects of some breast cancer medications.
The study indicates that some breast cancer patients could take zoledronic acid in addition to their anti-cancer medications to maintain bone health.
Drugs called aromatase inhibitors stop the production of estrogen in postmenopausal women and, therefore, make less estrogen available to stimulate the growth of certain breast cancer cells, reports the journal Cancer.
Many postmenopausal women with breast cancer are routinely treated for several years with these potentially life-saving drugs, but the agents can cause bone loss and fractures.
Adam Brufsky from the University of Pittsburgh’s Cancer Institute, and his colleagues conducted a study to see if the bone drug zoledronic acid could prevent and treat bone loss in postmenopausal breast cancer patients, according to a Pittsburgh statement.
In their five-year study, called Z-FAST, 602 postmenopausal women with early breast cancer who were receiving the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, received zoledronic acid simultaneously with letrozole or only after bone loss or fractures occurred.
Investigators noted progressive increases in bone density throughout the five years of the study in women who initiated zoledronic acid at the start.
Conversely, significant decreases in bone density occurred when zoledronic acid administration was delayed until bone loss was apparent.
Zoledronic acid is on the approved list of the Food and Drug Administration for conditions including osteoporosis and bone complications of cancer.
- This drug can reduce breast cancer recurrence - Sep 27, 2011
- Bone drug may help fight breast cancer - Jun 03, 2010
- Osteoporosis drug may benefit patients with oral cancer - Dec 14, 2010
- Breast cancer survivors are at higher risk for hip fractures - Feb 03, 2011
- How breast cancer drug causes arthritis in some women - Sep 28, 2010
- Simple fingertip test may identify breast cancer patients at CTS risk - Dec 11, 2010
- Depression drug may ease pain from breast cancer treatment: Study - Dec 12, 2010
- Depression drug may relieve pain from breast cancer treatment - Dec 13, 2010
- Fracture prone? Blame your genes - Apr 22, 2012
- Study clears misconception linked to joint pain from breast cancer drugs - Nov 08, 2010
- Modified bone drug kills malaria parasite - Feb 28, 2012
- Osteoporosis drug may help cut risk of bone fractures, breast cancer, stroke - Feb 25, 2010
- Cancer drugs not the only cause of bone loss among survivors - Nov 20, 2008
- Acupuncture could relieve joint pain linked to breast cancer treatments - Mar 05, 2010
- Bone drug may help prevent spread of early lung cancer - Feb 26, 2011
Tags: aromatase inhibitor, bone density, bone health, bone loss, breast cancer, breast cancer cells, breast cancer patients, cancer institute, cancer medication, cancer medications, effects of breast cancer, estrogen, food and drug administration, journal cancer, letrozole, osteoporosis, osteoporosis drug, postmenopausal women, university of pittsburgh, zoledronic acid