Calcitonin therapy in central giant cell granuloma of the jaw: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.
The successful therapeutic use of calcitonin in patients with a central giant cell granuloma has been shown in several case reports. In a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 14 patients with a histologically confirmed central giant cell granuloma and normal calcium and parathyroid hormone serum levels were studied over 2 years. Patients were treated with intranasally administered salmon calcitonin (200 IU/day) or a placebo once a day. The placebo-controlled period was 3 months, after which all patients were treated with calcitonin for 1 year. Treatment response was assessed at the end of the placebo-controlled study phase (3 months), at the end of therapy (15 months' timepoint with patients being on calcitonin treatment for either 12 or 15 months) and at 6 months' follow-up. The chi(2)-test was used to compare the proportion of patients with a tumour reduction >/=10% of the pretreatment measurement between the 2 populations at the 3 timepoints: no differences were observed between the placebo group and the calcitonin group. At the 6-month follow-up timepoint, tumour volume had decreased by >/=10% in a total of 7 patients with a 37.9% (95% CI 31.3-44.5%) mean volume reduction in this subgroup. Complete remission was not observed.
de Lange
J
J
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Academic Medical Center and Academic Center for Dentistry (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. lotte.jan@wxs.nl
van den Akker
H P
HP
Veldhuijzen van Zanten
G O
GO
Engelshove
H A
HA
van den Berg
H
H
Klip
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006101:Granuloma, Giant Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007571:Jaw Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; C028815:salmon calcitonin; D002116:Calcitonin