If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  Study Finds Pain Relief for Advanced Breast Cancer Patients HOUSTON—Dec. 11, 1996 -- An international study has found relief for advanced breast cancer patients who experience sever pain from bone metastasis. Results of the study published in the Dec. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine point to a drug called pamidronate (trade name Aredia) that significantly reduced skeletal complications and pain in patients with advanced breast cancer whose cancer has spread, or metastasized, to the bone. Patients in the study who received pamidronate had significantly fewer skeletal complications such as bone fractures and the need for radiation therapy or surgery to stabilize the bone. They experienced reductions in bone pain and need for pain medication, and they maintained a better quality of life and the ability to perform normal daily activities. The one-year study was led by Drs. Gabriel N. Hortobagyi and Richard L. Theriault of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The clinical trial involved nearly 400 women with stage IV breast cancer from 97 study sites in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Pamidronate was administered as a two-hour intravenous infusion to half of the women in the study, along with traditional chemotherapy. The remaining participants received a placebo infusion with their chemotherapy. "Anyone who has a relative, friend or close associate with breast cancer may have witnessed the intense amount of pain and suffering they experience when the cancer spreads to the bone," said Dr. Hortobagyi. "When given along with chemotherapy, this drug provides significant protection against skeletal complications, and eases the patient's pain, offering a better quality of life. The drug also is safe, and is well-tolerated by patients." Breast cancer is diagnosed in approximately 184,000 women in the United States each year, and has the highest incidence of bone metastases among all cancers. Currently, almost 100,000 breast cancer patients are living with bone metastases. Dr. Hortobagyi pointed out that these women often suffer from skeletal complications, including bone fractures, spinal cord compression, impaired mobility, and chronic and debilitating bone pain. He explained that bone tissue undergoes constant reconstruction, with one type of cell building new bone, and another type of cell destroying old bone. Both must be in equilibrium for healthy bone structure. Researchers have found that some breast cancer cells produce a substance that breaks down bone structure and pamidronate appears to stop the activity of the cells responsible for abnormal bone breakdown. "The drug pamidronate is effective in reducing bone-related complications not only in patients with breast cancer, but also in patients with multiple myeloma, a malignant tumor of the bone marrow. It also may be useful for patients with other forms of cancer that has spread to the bone, such as lung, prostate and kidney cancer," said Hortobagyi. Aredia was approved in July 1996 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating bone metastases associated with breast cancer. The drug is developed and distributed by Ciba Pharmaceuticals, and it is marketed by Chiron Therapeutics of Emeryville, Calif. For more information about this study, or more information about breast cancer services at M.D. Anderson, call the toll-free M.D. Anderson Information Line at 1-800-392-1611.
|
