In a recent study, treatment with Zometa (zoledronic acid) increased overall and progression-free survival rates among multiple myeloma patients compared to Bonefos (clodronate). Additionally, Zometa was more effective in preventing bone loss and fractures. The results were presented June 6 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago by Dr. Gareth Morgan of the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

Bone is in a constant balance of being broken down and being replenished. A perfect balance keeps a person’s bones strong. However, in multiple myeloma patients, this …

The majority of multiple myeloma patients suffer from bone disease, and drugs called bisphosphonates are commonly used to help improve bone health in myeloma patients. Dr. David Roodman of the University of Pittsburgh discussed the current use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma during an education session on June 7 at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.

Treatment of myeloma bone disease is important, since 20 percent of multiple myeloma patients experience a fracture at the time of their myeloma diagnosis, and 60 percent of multiple myeloma patients experience a …

Yesterday was the fourth day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. Although today is the final day of the meeting, the multiple myeloma-related sessions concluded yesterday.

The day began with a meeting-wide session to review the highlights of the previous day across all cancer types. There were six presentations, and despite all of the types of cancers being discussed at the meeting, an entire presentation was devoted to myeloma.

Dr. Jean-Luc Harousseau from the Rene Gauducheau Cancer Center in France presented the myeloma highlights. He described …

The third day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 annual meeting in Chicago was tailor-made for morn­ing people interested in mul­ti­ple myeloma.  The key myeloma-related activity on Sunday, June 6 was a morn­ing abstract session start­ing at 9:30 a.m.  Nine abstracts were pre­sented and discussed over the course of three hours.

The first two pre­sen­ta­tions dealt with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib)-related re­search.

Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the Uni­ver­sity of Turin pre­sented the re­­sults of the first study.  It com­pared two regi­mens for the treat­ment of newly diag­nosed elderly myeloma patients.  The first regi­men in­volved …

On Monday, Amgen released results from its Phase 3 clinical trial that compared denosumab with Zometa (zoledronic acid) in multiple myeloma patients and advanced cancer patients whose tumors have spread to the bone. The results indicated that denosumab delayed skeletal related events in this group of cancer patients.

Bone tumors often weaken and destroy the bone surrounding the tumor, resulting in serious complications that include bone fractures, spinal cord compression, the need for radiation, and the need for bone surgery. These complications are collectively named “skeletal related events,” …

A recent study, presented at the International Academy of Oral Oncology, suggests that in order to prevent jawbone disease, myeloma patients should receive a dental examination before beginning bisphosphonate (BP) therapy.

The duration of BP therapy and the severity of myeloma are linked to the development of jaw bone disease, or osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). ONJ occurs when there is a loss of blood supply to the jaw, causing the jawbone tissue to die.

BPs are a class of drugs that prevent bone from breaking down. They are commonly given to …

A recent report, published in conjunction with the 45th annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), suggests that skeletal complications are an important prognostic factor in multiple myeloma patients treated with the drug Zometa (zoledronic acid).

The researchers studied osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), or death of bone tissue in the jaw, which is a common side effect of Zometa. They found that the development of ONJ was associated with a reduced risk of skeletal-related events, such as bone pain and fracture, and increased overall survival.

The …