Dec 24, 2008 11:46 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Bone Drug May Fight Cancer Tumors
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The world may be on the verge of a cancer breakthrough.
Zometa, a drug designed to prevent bone loss caused by certain cancer treatments has researchers saying it may do even more.
The study was carried out on women who had chemotherapy to shrink their breast tumors before surgery, and the patients who were also given Zometa had one-third more tumor shrinkage.
"Sometimes, we can get tumors to shrink enough that, rather than needing a mastectomy or removing the entire breast, we preserve the breast and just do a lumpectomy," Dr. Sharon Rosenbaum-Smith, of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, said.
There was another benefit for the patients that took Zometa: once the drug treatment was finished, 11 percent of those taking the drug had no evidence of cancer in their breasts or lymph nodes., as opposed to just six percent of women who underwent chemotherapy alone.
Patients were treated with the drug once every three weeks for up to six months.
Zometa is pricey, costing upwards of $1200 for just one treatment.
Cancer doctors received news of the new research at a conference in Texas.
Many experts say the study, which was sponsored by the drug's maker, is too small to change their procedures for now, but the results are encouraging.
"This is something that women have been getting the benefit from, because they were given this medication for other reasons," Rosenbaum-Smith said.
Zometa is the same type of drug as Fossamax and others, used to treat osteoporosis. It was originally used to help prevent fractures when cancer had spread to the bones.
Zometa's tumor-shrinking ability came as an unexpected, but welcome, side effect. A larger study that should confirm its benefits is scheduled for completion in 2009.
Zometa is known to have some side effects, principally flu-like symptoms, including fever and joint and muscle pain.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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