Zometa, made by Novartis AG, is currently used for cancers that have already spread to the bone. Recent studies indicate that the drug also substantially cut the risk that the hormone-positive breast cancer would return.
The second phase of the study was carried out by the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group on 1,803 premenopausal women with Stages I-II hormone-positive breast cancer. Following surgery all patients were treated with hormonal therapy.
In addition some patients were treated with Zometa and the results were directly compared with those not treated with the drug. Researchers found that Zometa cut by one-third the chances that cancer would recur in their bones or anywhere else.
The results of this clinical study were recently presented at the 2008 annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago, IL.
Researchers believer that these results establish clearer procedures for providing a standard of care for this group of patients that may not include chemotherapy.
Further study is necessary to determine the impact of the addition of Zometa to hormone therapy on overall survival and the risk of developing bone metastases.
