What are bisphosphonates and what role do they play in treating bone complications?
Bisphosphonates are medications that actually slow or stop the deterioration of bone and progression to osteoporosis. Their benefit has been clearly demonstrated in dealing with the osteoporotic complications of androgen deprivation treatment that’s used early in the management of prostate cancer patients. Studies have shown that patients who receive this drug have a lower rate of fractures, spinal cord compression and bone pain. This has not translated yet into an overall survival benefit, which is really what we would like to see, but clearly it has an important effect that we look forward to learning more about. How will treatment of bone complications improve the outcome of people living with prostate cancer? I think there is a specific opportunity in this disease simply because 90% of patients with prostate cancer (that spreads outside of the prostate) have bone metastases. So it’s clear that the bone involvement determines how sick patients get as well as determining their mortal
