Renal failure and Zometa

Friends,

On breastcancer.org some women were discussing the apparently frequent renal failure with long-term Zometa use. Many have switched to Aredia. This is the first I've heard about it. I've now taken Zometa for a year for my bone mets. And I'm currently having little things that could be kidney related. Does anyone have any info on this? And also on signs of renal failure? Can it show up in our bloodwork?

Love and light to all,

Lisa

Hi Lisa,
I, too, have been on Zometa for over a year and was not aware of potential kidney problems. However, I know that my onc has said that she monitors the function so there must be indications in the bloodwork because I don't have any specific tests run for it. I have not experienced any symptoms to date but will be on the lookout in the future!

Routine blood chemistry tests will often indicate organ disfunction. LDH, which is often associated with a liver profile, can be broken down to organ specific tests. For example, LDH-1 is found mainly in the heart. LDH-2 is primarily associated with the system in the body that defends against infection. LDH-3 is found in the lungs and other tissues, LDH-4 in the kidney, placenta, and pancreas, and LDH-5 in liver and skeletal muscle. Elevations in respective LDH's may be indicative of damage in certain organs. This is a very simplistic explanation as the interaction between the various LDH sub-tpyes also comes into play.
If in doubt, follow your intinct and ask your doctor.
Take Care,
Al

Lisa, I have been on zometa for almost FOUR years. At times, my onc experimented with increased doses trying to keep my bone met stable. We have been very careful. I take it in a liter of fluid given over 2-3 hours instead of the usual 15 minute infusion. My onc also checks my creatinine ( a blood test ) before each dose of zometa.
In addition, because we were trying higher than usual doses, he followed something called a 24 hour urine for creatinine clearance. It is more sensitive than the regular blood test. At one point it did drop, so we backed off on the dose and it came back up.

I think if it is given carefully and slowly with close monitoring of kidney function, it can be safe. As I say, 4 years and still have normal kidney function.

Good luck.

Lisa, I've taken Zometa for 2 years and all ok. The onc does a blood test before he allows it to be administered. My blood test for the kidney function has not varied over the time. I'm sure that your onc is also monitoring your kidneys as well. God's Blessings to you. Deb F