Plastic Surgery Articles

Breast Cancer Survivor Breakthrough: Zometa

At the recent Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, Illinois, Zometa was a topic of discussion when the Austrian Breast (zoledronic acid).

The FDA approved Novartis’ Zometa in 2002 for the use of preventing cancer reoccurrence. To date, three clinical trials comprised of over 3,000 patients support the use of Zometa for post cancer patients. The pharmacology behind Zometa focuses on inhibiting bone resorption to prevent the re-occurrence of cancer.

This breakthrough is considered monumental for breast cancer survivors in light of cancer re-occurrence statistics. Of all early breast cancer patients, approximately one third will have a reoccurrence and most reoccurrences appear in other organs of the body. This statistic also represents breast cancer as the primary cause of death, involving 60% of the women within a five year period.

Most often, hormone therapy is used to prevent cancer reoccurrences. Breast cancer survivors can now receive Zometa to reduce the risk of disease-free survival events (which include death from any cause) by 36%, when compared to hormone therapy treatment alone. Zometa may be utilized to prevent other types of cancer reoccurrences, including: multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, lung cancer and select classes of tumors.

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