This document summarizes several studies on the use of zoledronic acid to treat bone complications from various cancers. It finds that zoledronic acid is more effective than other bisphosphonates in preventing bone issues for prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and multiple myeloma. It also reduces skeletal complications and improves survival rates for lung cancer, kidney cancer, and other solid tumors. Additionally, zoledronic acid more effectively treats hypercalcemia of malignancy compared to pamidronic acid and prevents bone loss associated with breast cancer treatments. A combination study showed zoledronic acid safely prevented bone density loss in premenopausal breast cancer patients receiving tamoxifen or anastrozole.

1. Bomeza study

2. Zolendronic acid in Prostate cancer
• Zoledronic acid is effective than first and
second generation bisphosphonates including
etidronate, clodronate and pamidronate in
preventing bone complications in patients
with bone metastases secondary to prostate
cancer
• European UrologyVolume 3, issue 5, pages 1-.62, November 2004

3. Zolendronic acid in bladder cancer
• Zoledronic acid decreased the incidence of
(skeletal related events) SREs and improved the
1-year survival rate of patients with bone
metastases from bladder cancer.
• Int J Clin Oncol.2010 April:1-8.
• Home palliative care, administered zoledronic
acid used for bladder cancer with hypercalcemia
• Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2010 May;37(5):939-42.

4. Zoledronic acid in solid tumors
• Zoledronic acid has been shown to reduce
SREs in patients with bone metastases from
lung cancer, kidney cancer, and a broad range
of other solid tumors.
• Oncologist. 2010 November; 15(11): 1147–
1158.

5. Zoledronic acid in hypercalcemia of
malignancies
• Zoledronic acid is significantly more effective
than pamidronic acid administered as a 2-hour
infusion in the treatment of severe
hypercalcaemia of malignancy, In patients
with hypercalcaemia of malignancy, zoledronic
acid is expected to become the treatment of
choice.
• Drugs, Volume 63, Number 4, 2003 , pp. 417-
437(21)

7. Zoledronic acid in breast cancer
• Zoledronic acid is more effective than pamidronate in
skeletal complication associated with breast cancer.
• Cancer.Volume 110, Issue 8, pages 1860–1867, 15
October 2007.
• Longer persistence with zoledronic acid was associated
with lower SRE risk, and zoledronic acid treated
patients had longer survival rate.
• zoledronic acid, induces apoptosis of breast cancer
cells: evidence for synergy with paclitaxel
• Br J Cancer. 2001 April; 84(8): 1126–1134.

8. Breast cancer
• zoledronic acid can prevent bone loss
associated with adjuvant endocrine
therapy. in premenopausal patients
• J Clin Oncol. 2007 Mar 1;25(7):820-8. Epub
2006 Dec 11.

9. Multiple myeloma
• Zoledonic acid is more effective than
pamidronate in lowering the skeletal related
complication in multiple myeloma patinets
• Cancer
• Volume 98, Issue 8, pages 1735–1744, 15
October 2003
•

12. Combi study of zoledronic and
anastrozole
• “The results of this study indicate that zoledronic
acid…effectively and safely prevents loss of [bone
density] in premenopausal patients treated with
either tamoxifen or anastrozole in combination
with [goserelin],” stated the authors. “This is the
first report to demonstrate that the combination
of a bisphosphonate with an AI can effectively
and safely prevent [cancer-treatment induced
bone loss] in premenopausal women with early-
stage breast cancer.”