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Ibandronate relieves opioid-resistant metastatic bone pain

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Short-term, intensive ibandronate treatment provides sustained relief of opioid-resistant bone pain associated with metastatic bone disease, according to a report in the September 1st Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“Severe metastatic bone pain, which is unsatisfactorily controlled by strong opioids, is likely to become a new indication for bisphosphonate therapy in all types of cancer,” Dr. Jean-Jacques Body from Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, told Reuters Health. “Ibandronate could be especially useful, given its renal safety and the fact that maintenance therapy can be given by the oral or intravenous route.”Dr. Body and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of intravenous ibandronate for opioid-resistant bone pain in 18 patients with advanced tumors and metastatic bone disease.Ibandronate treatment (4 mg intravenously for 4 days) significantly reduced bone pain within 7 days of treatment, the authors report, and pain scores remained lower than baseline at day 21 and 42.Treatment also improved quality of life, with patients experiencing improvements in the well-being score of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and in Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool scores. Mean performance status scores on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale improved significantly at days 21 and 42, the report indicates.Ibandronate treatment was well tolerated, despite the high dose, the investigators report. There were no renal or gastrointestinal side effects or treatment-related effects on renal function measures or blood counts.”Our research suggests that even severe pain due to metastatic bone disease that cannot be optimally managed with opiates can be safely treated with intensive ibandronate dosing,” Dr. Body said.”Two large-scale clinical studies are planned to start shortly,” Dr. Body added, “using high-dose ibandronate for moderate to severe metastatic bone pain. Patients will receive intravenous ibandronate 6 mg for 3 consecutive days, followed by maintenance treatment.”(Source: J Clin Oncol 2004;22:3587-3592: Reuters Health News: Oncolink: September 2004.)


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Dates

Posted On: 27 September, 2004
Modified On: 3 December, 2013

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