[Systemic chemotherapy for bladder cancer: news in 2009]

This review summarizes the results of first-line and second-line systemic chemotherapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma as well as data from adjuvant and neoadjuvant trials for locally advanced bladder cancer. Whereas conventional systemic chemotherapy prevailed for over two decades, targeted therapeutics have been introduced to treat urothelial cancer during recent years. As in other tumor entities, molecular profiling will presumably emerge in the future as a means to tailor individual therapy.

Preserving functional independence in elderly patients with cancer-associated bone disease: the role of zoledronic acid

Increases in life expectancy in the developed world will inevitably lead to larger numbers of elderly patients with cancer-associated (malignant) bone disease. Most elderly patients with metastatic cancer also suffer from numerous comorbidities. The management of bone health in this setting requires special consideration. This article centers on malignant bone disease in the elderly and the role of bisphosphonates in geriatric oncology. The challenges involved in the treatment of older patients with bone metastases are described, and the potential utility of bisphosphonates, such as zoledronic acid, is discussed. Moreover, recent data from several large clinical trials suggest that zoledronic acid provides additional benefits, including antitumor effects that may extend beyond the preservation of bone health and prevention of skeletal-related events.

Endocrine therapy plus zoledronic acid in premenopausal breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Ovarian suppression plus tamoxifen is a standard adjuvant treatment in premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors are superior to tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients, and preclinical data suggest that zoledronic acid has antitumor properties.

METHODS

We examined the effect of adding zoledronic acid to a combination of either goserelin and tamoxifen or goserelin and anastrozole in premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer. We randomly assigned 1803 patients to receive goserelin (3.6 mg given subcutaneously every 28 days) plus tamoxifen (20 mg per day given orally) or anastrozole (1 mg per day given orally) with or without zoledronic acid (4 mg given intravenously every 6 months) for 3 years. The primary end point was disease-free survival; recurrence-free survival and overall survival were secondary end points.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 47.8 months, 137 events had occurred, with disease-free survival rates of 92.8% in the tamoxifen group, 92.0% in the anastrozole group, 90.8% in the group that received endocrine therapy alone, and 94.0% in the group that received endocrine therapy with zoledronic acid. There was no significant difference in disease-free survival between the anastrozole and tamoxifen groups (hazard ratio for disease progression in the anastrozole group, 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78 to 1.53; P=0.59). The addition of zoledronic acid to endocrine therapy, as compared with endocrine therapy without zoledronic acid, resulted in an absolute reduction of 3.2 percentage points and a relative reduction of 36% in the risk of disease progression (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.91; P=0.01); the addition of zoledronic acid did not significantly reduce the risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.32 to 1.11; P=0.11). Adverse events were consistent with known drug-safety profiles.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of zoledronic acid to adjuvant endocrine therapy improves disease-free survival in premenopausal patients with estrogen-responsive early breast cancer. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00295646.)