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Bone Metastases Drug Results in Improvement of Overall Survival

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Study compared denosumab and zoledronic acid

One of the most frequent sites of metastases for patients diagnosed with lung cancer is the bone, with an estimated 30% to 40% of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) developing bone loss. A recently published study shows that the bone metastases drug denosumab was associated with an improved overall survival in comparison with zoledronic acid (ZA).

For the study, a total of 811 lung cancer patients (411 for denosumab and 400 for ZA) were assessed. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either a monthly subcutaneous injection of denosumab 120 mg (plus an IV infusion of placebo) or a monthly IV infusion of ZA 4 mg (plus a subcutaneous injection of placebo). The ZA dose was adjusted for renal impairment. All patients were strongly encouraged to take daily calcium and vitamin D supplements.

In all 811 participating lung cancer patients, treatment with denosumab was associated with a significantly improved overall median survival compared with ZA, with a variance of 1.2 months. In patients with NSCLC, denosumab was again associated with a significantly improved survival, with a difference of 1.5 months.

Furthermore, patients with small cell lung cancer treated with denosumab experienced an overall survival of 7.6 months versus 5.1 months for those treated with ZA. Denosumab-treated patients with squamous cell carcinoma also showed improved survival compared with the ZA group, with a difference of 2.2 months. In patients with adenocarcinoma, the treatments were also associated with similar overall survival.

The study is published in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Source: IASLC.