Clodronate - Cancer treatment to prevent bone metasasis
Clodronate - Adjuvant treatment to prevent bone metasases
What is Clodronate and what does it do?
Clodronate is a member of a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which are
used to treat the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis - It has been around for 20 years, and is a drug
that actually heals, rather than just treats symptoms.
Studies from
Europe show it can:
• Reverse bone loss;
•
Significantly increases lumbar bone density.
Especially when mixed with calcium;
But most importantly:
Clodronate is an effective adjunct to any therapy you are using for the purpose
of preventing bone metastases. A major benefit
for those with breast cancer, where the majority of deaths occur after the
cancer has metastasized to the bones.
- It has minimal side
effects and does not kill cancer cells
- FDA issued an
approvability letter in 2005 for clodronate
as a breast cancer adjuvant treatment - although, despite its approvability
letter, it is not officially FDA-approved.
- Clodronate is not
commercially available in America. Can be
bought online from Canada
Some studies of Clodronate's effectiveness
Clodronate ought to be seriously considered as adjuvant treatment for Stage II
and III breast patients. Given some of the favorable trial results
below, its safe nature and relatively inexpensive cost (under $200 per month
from Canada), in addition to its benefit in reducing bone loss in breast cancer
patients simultaneously receiving anti-estrogen therapy.Newer/future
generation bisphosphonates may have even more potent anti-cancer potential than
Clodronate.
- 2009 -
Adjuvant therapy
with oral sodium clodronate in locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer:
long-term overall survival results from the MRC PR04 and PR05 randomised
controlled trials . Improves overall survival in men with metastatic prostate cancer
who are starting hormone therapy, but there is
no evidence of an effect in men with non -metastatic prostate
cancer.
- 2006 - a large randomized double-blinded placebo controlled multi-center
study of over one
thousand patients over 5 years confirmed reduced skeletal metastasis as well as
possibly favorable survival in breast cancer patients (esp those with Stage II
or III disease rather than Stage I) receiving clodronate as adjuvant over the
initial 2 years.
- 2001 -
Adjuvant
clodronate treatment does not reduce the frequency of skeletal metastases in
node-positive breast cancer patients: 5-year results of a randomized controlled
trial . This Finnish study showed a decrease in survival in clodronate
treated breast cancer patients,
- 1998 -
Reduction in New Metastases in Breast Cancer with Adjuvant Clodronate
Treatment . Study concluded that Clodronate can
reduce the incidence and number of new bony and visceral metastases
in women with breast cancer who are at high risk for distant
metastases.
- 1993 -Paterson
et al . Noted reduced bone-related morbidity in treated patients and
recommended that Clodronate be further investigated for potentially reducing
bone metastasis as an adjuvant treatment for those who are at risk.
- 1988 - breast cancer patients with multiple bone metastasis treated with
clodronate experienced fewer fractures and less hypercalcemia, with a higher
survival rate and no side effects. [Biomed. Pharmacother. (France), 42/2
(111-1160];
- 1987 - two studies showed that oral clodronate successfully reduced a
mean serum calcium concentration in 22 our of 25 patients with various types of
malignant tumors, and that clodronate is a valuable clinical tool in the
management of patients with malignancy-associated hypercalcemia. [Acta. med.
Scand. (Sweden), 221/5 (489-494)];
- 1985 - clodronate given to patients with episodes of hypercalcemia and
osteolysis due to carcinoma reduced serum calcium in 14 of 17 episodes and bone
resorption in all patients. [Br. J. Cancer (England), 51/5 (665-669)];
- 1984 - published in both France and the US, this study concluded that
"Clodronate is very effective against osteoclasts," and "Clodronate may be a
useful adjuvant in managing metastatic bone disease." [Presse Med. 13/8,
479-482); New England Journal of Medicine , 308/25 (1499-1501)];
- 1998 -
Reduction in New Metastases in Breast Cancer with
Adjuvant Clodronate Treatment
- Article -
Clodronate does
not improve breast cancer survival
How to take Clodronate
Standard Dosage for treating cancer is 800 mg of clodronate taken twice daily.
According to the
Life Extension Foundation , although twice
this dosage has been used safely.
Breast cancer patients might want to consider a 3
- 5 year regimen on clodronate therapy
Monitor calcium levels and kidney function.
Blood tests to measure serum calcium levels and kidney function should be done
10 days after initiating clodronate therapy and every one to two months
thereafter.
- In a small minority of
patients. Clodronate will cause too much calcium to be pulled from the blood
to the bone.
Contraindications
You should not use
clodronate:
- If you suffer from severe
renal insufficiency (a kidney disorder requiring dialysis);
- If you are pregnant
Where to obtain Clodronate?
A
location in Canada will sell you clodronate:
http://www.lifepharma.com . The online store
there does not work, so you will have to contact them by email or phone:
ben@uniserve.com
PO Box
550 - Abbotsford, B.C. V2S 5Z5 Canada.
Cost is under ~$200 per month from Canada.
Additionally, there is a Mexican company with a US postal box and phone number (cost is about a
dollar a pill):
Leipzing & Pemebee
leipzing4090@yahoo.com .
When you order
Poly-MVA , they will send
you clodronate with your Poly.
