[Clinical analysis of therapeutic effect of zoledronic acid combined with radiotherapy for metastatic bone cancer].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of zoledronic acid combined with local radiotherapy for limited metastatic bone cancer.

METHODS

Forty-five patients with limited bone metastatic cancers were randomly divided into two groups: 23 in the combination group who received intravenously administration of zoledronic acid and local radiotherapy, the other 22 in the radiotherapy alone group who underwent local radiotherapy only.

RESULTS

The response rate of pain relief was 91.3% in the combination group versus 86.4% in the radiotherapy alone group, without statistically significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). However, the recalcification rate was significantly higher in the combination therapy group (52.2%) than that in radiotherapy alone group (22.7% P < 0.01), and the proportion of patients with new bone metastasis formation was significantly lower in the combination group (13.0%) than that in the radiotherapy alone group (40.9%, P < 0.05). The common side-effects were transient pyrexia and nausea.

CONCLUSION

Zoledronic acid combined with local radiotherapy is effective in relieving pain, improving bone recalcification and reducing the formation of new bone metastasis.