Zometa (Novartis) with endocrine therapy improves survival in post menopausal Breast Cancer patients

Adding Zometa (zoledronic acid), from Novartis, to adjuvant endocrine therapy increased bone mineral density and reduced the risk for disease recurrence among postmenopausal women with early hormone receptor-positive Breast Cancer, according to new data from the ZO-FAST trial. Researchers randomly assigned 1,065 patients who were about to commence letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, to receive immediate Zometa every six months or to a delayed group where Zometa was started at a later time only if the patient experienced a fracture or a documented fall in bone mineral density. Early Zometa significantly decreased bone mineral density loss in both the lumbar spine and the hip, and there was a 34 percent decrease in disease recurrence in the patients receiving the up-front Zometa. Finally, in women who were truly menopausal at diagnosis, immediate Zometa reduced the risk for disease recurrence by 29 percent and improved overall survival by 35 percent. Patients who took Zometa at a later time also appeared to benefit, according to lead researcher Richard de Boer, M.D., of the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Victoria, who presented the results at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.