IMPROVEMENT OF OVERALL SURVIVAL WITH PRIMARY BREAST CANCER WITH MICROMESTASES TO THE BONE MARROW BY ADJUVANT CLODRONATE THERAPY

Supplementation of oral clodronate to postoperative adjuvant treatment for breast cancer (BC) considerably improves overall and relapse-free survival rates. The paper gives the results of a long-term follow-up of patients during a prospective randomized controlled study.
Subjects and methods. The study included patients with primary BC receiving clodronate in a dose of 1600 mg/day in combination with the conventional adjuvant therapy for BC.
Results. An analysis of 290 of 302 patients indicated a significant increase in overall survival in the clodronate group at a median fol- low-up of 103±12 months; during 8.5 years after primary surgical treatment, 20.4% and 40.7% of patients died in the clodronate and control groups, respectively (p = 0.04). The clodronate group did not show a considerable reduction in the rate of metastatic lesions in the bone and visceral organs or an increase in the relapse-free period following 36- and 55-month follow-ups.
Conclusions. The findings of better late overall survival rates confirm the results of earlier studies of oral clodronate in combination with the conventional adjuvant therapy for BC.