A phase III study released at the ASCO meeting demonstrated that for men with bone metastases from prostate cancer, denosumab was more effective than Zometa® (zoledronic acid) at delaying or preventing bone complications such as fracture.
Since bone is e most common site for metastatic tumors in men with advanced prostate cancer, this is a very important finding. Bone metastases often lead to serious problems such as fracture and spinal cord compression, and may require treatment with surgery or radiation therapy.
A common treatment, a Bisphosphonate such as Zometa are used to reduce the risk of complications from bone metastases
Denosumab is a drug that targets a protein known as the RANK ligand. This protein regulates the activity of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone). Denosumab was recently approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, and has also shown promising results in the management of bone metastases and treatment-related bone loss.
To directly compare the efficacy of denosumab to Zometa in prostate cancer survivors with bone metastases, researchers conducted a Phase III clinical tr