Aggressive breast cancer treatment offers you the hope of living a long, healthy life after treatment. But some breast cancer treatments may speed up bone loss and increase the risk of osteoporosis.
The study reviewed here confirms that Actonel (chemical name: risedronate) can prevent bone weakening after breast cancer treatment. The medication can even strengthen bones that are already weakened by age and treatment.
Actonel is a bisphosphonate. Other bisphosphonates include Fosamax (chemical name: alendronate sodium) and Boniva (chemical name: ibandronate). The medications are taken by mouth and effectively treat osteoporosis and reduce the risk of bone fractures. Other bisphosphonates, such as Zometa (zoledronic acid) and Aredia (chemical name: pamidronate disodium), are sometimes given intravenously to women being treated for advanced breast cancer.
Doctors measure your bone strength by measuring your bone mineral density. Bone mineral density is measured with a DEXA scan. Bone mineral density was used to measure bone health in this study.
Besides taking medicine, there's a lot you can do to reduce your risk of osteoporosis and improve your bone health, whether or not you've been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Monitoring your bone health is important. Talk to your doctor about if, when, and how often you should be getting a bone mineral density test, as well as whether medicines to maintain or improve your bone health might be right for you.
Visit the Breastcancer.org section on Bone Health for more information.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Bone loss in women who survive breast cancer after undergoing chemotherapy can be prevented by once-weekly treatment with risedronate, according to the results of a new study.
Risedronate, which goes by the brand name Actonel, is one of the so-called bisphosphonate drugs that curb bone loss that occurs after menopause. Dr. Susan L. Greenspan from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and other researchers studied 87 newly postmenopausal women with breast cancer who finished chemotherapy and were assigned to take either a 35-milligram tablet of risedronate or a placebo pill once a week.
Bone mineral density (BMD) in the spine increased by 1.2 percent after 1 year of treatment with risedronate but decreased by 0.9 percent in the placebo group, the team reports in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Results were similar for BMD at the hip. Total body BMD remained stable among risedronate-treated women, the results indicate, but decreased in the placebo group.
Adverse events did not differ significantly between the risedronate and placebo groups, the investigators say.
"These results have important clinical ramifications for breast cancer survivors who go into remission after early, aggressive therapy," Greenspan and colleagues conclude.
As they point out, "Because of the long-term survival of this cohort, they are at risk for bone loss and osteoporosis. Skeletal integrity needs to be assessed and considered as part of their long-term management."
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, January 2007.
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