title: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial of zoledronic acid for bone metastases.
abstract: In this study, we assessed the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of two therapeutic regimens relating to the frequency of zoledronic acid (ZOL) infusion. Sixty adult patients with bone metastases were randomly assigned to two study groups. The first group (group A) received 4 mg ZOL every two weeks, and the second group (group B) received 4 mg ZOL every four weeks. Assessment measures included C-telopeptide (CTX) rate, the Greek Brief Pain Inventory (GBPI), the linear analogue scale assessment (LASA) of quality of life, and biochemical markers. Assessments were made at weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48. Clinical endpoints included effective decrease in bone resorption markers, pain relief and improvement of mobility status. The follow-up period was 48 weeks. No statistically significant differences between groups A and B were found in overall profile of biochemical markers, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and GBPI score at the end of the follow-up period. Assessment of bone metastases revealed a slight difference between the two groups, however this difference was not statistically significant. These findings indicate that administering zoledronic acid at four rather that two weeks has no significant impact on overall outcome.
authors.affiliation: Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, Department of Radiology, Areteion Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Kyriaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mystakidou
authors.forename: Emmanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katsouda
authors.forename: Efi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parpa
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kouskouni
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chondros
authors.forename: Marinos L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tsiatas
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galanos
authors.forename: Lambros
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vlahos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004164:Diphosphonates; D007093:Imidazoles; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid