Bisphposphonates as preventative?

[Rich]

Anyone here taking bisphosphhonates to prevent bone mets?

[eric]

Rich,

My wife was diagnosed with mets to lungs and liver 7/04 and is taking Zometa monthly ever since.

Eric

[*_Kim in DC_*]

Rich,

I am a drug rep. The only product I have right now is a once a month oral bisphosphonate called Boniva. I have been trying to collect studies on the issue. I have seen studies done on Clondrinate and Actonel. Mostly the studies are going on now and they have not made conclusions. Drugs like tomoxafin lower your bmd.

Kim

[StephN]

Hi -
While on last round of chemo for the liver and bone mets I took Fosamax to stabilize my bone loss.
For three years I have been taking Zometa and seem to do just fine with no side effects. My onc said I am close to being the longest patient he has on this drug with success.

[*_anne_*]

Hi Rich,

I think it is dependant of what stage you are. I read some months ago on bcsupport.org that biophos. may be bad for early stage ER/PR - tumors. They had all the data of studies conducted. You can check out the site.

On a side note, Steph is you are on long term Zometa, don't have any teeth pulled or other invasive procedures in your jaw without telling your onc. There are cases of osteomyelitis of the jaw in some women. I have a patient who is on Zometa who is in braces right now and her jaw bone is like steel and her teeth are not moving. Hence if you have trauma or surgery you could be asking for trouble. Take care of yourself and teeth.

Anne

[Steph N]

Hi Anne -
Thanks for sharing your expertise on the jaw issue.

Fortunately and thankfully my teeth and gums have been cooperating in the five years since my diagnosis. I never was bothered with anything but minor repairs and very occasional refills anyway.

I don't really know how long I need to be on Zometa. Am thinking of asking my med onc if I still really need it. My bone loss was rather substantial after so much chemo for two years running, so maybe I need another Dexa scan to check my density now. And I noticed my teeth DID move as they were quite straight before that. Not so bad that I need braces, but I wish they had not moved so much.