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Biphosphonates: a new role to play in oncology?
[mis à jour le 26 February 2007 à 14h35]
Biphosphonates are already being used to treat bone metastases associated with breast cancer, but now a recent study by INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) has led to a new scheme of therapy: daily injections of low doses, rather than high doses administered at longer intervals.
Biphosphonates were originally designed to reduce the risk of bone fractures in women suffering from osteoporosis, but now their effects in combating tumours are also attracting keen interest.
Professor Philippe Clézardin and his team at INSERM Unit 664 have studied the anti-tumoral action of various biphosphonates on animal models, using a range of different doses administered with diverse frequencies. Their results appear promising.
A daily, low-dose injection of zoledronate has been shown to halt the development of bone metastases. Better still, “an 88% reduction in size (of metastases) compared with a control group” has been observed. But only with this particular therapeutic scheme, not with high doses administered at longer intervals.
Why should this be? According to the research team, “it seems likely that frequent administering of low doses allows sufficiently high concentrations to be maintained in the circulatory system to act directly on tumour cells”. And it also impedes the activity of osteoclasts. “The frequency of treatment therefore appears to be a determining factor in obtaining anti-tumoral activity on metastases”.
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