Zometa treatment - every 4 weeks or every 12 weeks?

[Paul Edwards]

More from this year's Annual General Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO).

 

Zometa (zoledronic acid), when given to men with bone metastases, has been shown to both delay damage to bones and to

extend life.

 

The current standard of care is to give to Zometa every 4 weeks.

 

Research presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting gave the results of a trial which compared giving Zometa every 12 weeks with giving it every 4 weeks.

 

The trial studied 1,822 patients (with three different diseases - Prostate Cancer, breast cancer and multiple myeloma) for a period of 2 years.

 

The trial found that administering Zometa every 12 weeks was not inferior to administering it every 4 weeks. There were no significant differences in side effects between the 2 different dosing schedules.

 

Zometa is given to the patient via an intravenous infusion.  There are obvious benefits for the patient in only having to have the treatment every 12 weeks, instead of every 4 weeks.    There is also the benefit that a 12 weekly dosing schedule is cheaper than a 4 weekly dosing schedule.

 

It is likely that this research will lead to a change in the frequency of treatments for patients on Zometa.

 

Reference: A randomized phase III study of standard dosing vs. longer interval dosing of zoledronic acid in metastatic cancer.
http://meetinglibrary.asco.org/content/147845-156

 

 

[Russ]

I was treated with Zometa from 2006 to 2010.  I did 2 years 3 weekly/ then 2 years 4 weekly.    This had the effect of slowing  PC growth, and minimized pain to zero.

 

Unfortunately my oncologist died and my new practitioners did not agree with the Zometa treatment despite many worldwide cancer treatment centres witnessing and observing the benefits.   It seems you can be ahead of the medical politics, eventually benefits are recognized.  But the cessation by the politically correct allowed the beast to gallop, allowing one to say hello to severe spinal stenosis.