Prophylactic use of zoledronic acid to prevent early bone loss is safe and feasible in patients with acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Osteopenia and osteoporosis are well-known consequences of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). The role of prophylactic zoledronic acid on bone turnover following allo-SCT has not been well characterized. We prospectively studied the role of prophylactic use of zoledronic acid on bone metabolism in 17 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing allo-SCT over a period of three yr (2006-2009). We measured bone mineral density using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning and the markers of bone turnover by urinary N-terminal telopeptide (uNTX) and serum osteocalcin levels prior to and serially following transplantation. All patients received 4 mg of zoledronic acid (Zometa, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Basel, Switzerland) intravenously prior to starting conditioning regimen and at six months after SCT. DXA scores did not change significantly in any patient over time (p > 0.05). uNTX progressively decreased over time (p < 0.001) and serum osteocalcin stabilized after six months. No patient developed osteonecrosis of the jaw. In conclusion, in this prospective pilot study, prophylactic use of zoledronic acid to prevent early bone loss was found to be safe and feasible in patients with AML undergoing allo-SCT during the immediate post-transplantation period.