Zometa can help prevent bone loss in premenopausal breast cancer patients says a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Young women that have estrogen receptor positive breast cancer can be treated with hormonal therapy. Some of these treatments can cause the loss of bone density. Treatment with drugs called bisphosphonates may be able to prevent this bone loss.
Zometa, a bisphosphonate, was studied to evaluate two different approaches to hormonal therapy. The patients received either Zoladex plus Tamoxifen or Zoladex plus the aromatase inhibitor, Arimidex. Half the women were treated with Zometa.
Women who did not receive the Zometa during hormonal therapy experienced significant loss of bone mineral density. Bone loss was worse for women treated with Zoladex and Arimidex than for women treated with Zoladex plus Tamoxifen. The women who did receive Zometa along with hormonal therapy had stable bone mineral density.
Bisphosphonates, the researcher concluded, should be considered for patients at risk of bone loss due to hormonal therapy.
Previous posts on the topic of bisphosphonates and Zometa:
Halting the spread of breast cancer to the bone
