The use of bisphosphonates in cancer treatment

Bone metastases result in considerable morbidity and exert complex demands on health care resources. Additionally, for many patients, metastatic bone disease is a chronic condition affecting quality of life and independence over years rather than months. The bisphosphonates, notably zoledronic acid, have been shown to reduce skeletal morbidity in multiple myeloma, as well as a wide range of solid tumors affecting bone, by 30-50%. Quite appropriately, the bisphosphonates are increasingly used alongside anticancer treatments to prevent skeletal complications and relieve bone pain. In addition, they are increasingly used to prevent cancer treatment induced bone loss and show promise in the adjuvant setting to prevent metastasis from breast cancer.