Bisphosphonates in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

The skeleton is the most common site of metastatic disease in breast cancer and the most common site of first distant relapse. Bone metastases in breast cancer are the source of considerable morbidity, including severe pain, pathological fractures, need for radiotherapy or surgery, and hypercalcemia. Bisphosphonates are potent inhibitors of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, and it is well known that breast cancer cells in bone can stimulate osteoclast formation and activity leading to the release of growth factors and cytokines, which will further stimulate cancer cell growth and their secretion of osteolytic factors. We are thus typically dealing with a vicious cycle, as the bone resorption-induced release of growth factors from the bone matrix will stimulate breast cancer cell growth (probably mainly by IGFs) and the production of the osteolytic factor PTHrP (probably mainly by TGF-beta but also by extracellular calcium). Clodronate, but not the aminobisphosphonates, can be metabolized to an ATP analog that is toxic for osteoclasts. Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, such as pamidronate, ibandronate, and zoledronate, interfere with the mevalonate pathway that is crucial to maintain cell membrane integrity. The net result, regardless of the mechanism, is osteoclast apoptosis, notably through the induction of caspase-3. Bisphosphonates are now the standard treatment for cancer hypercalcemia. Repeated bisphosphonate infusions also exert clinically relevant analgesic effects in at least one half of the patients with metastatic bone pain. Most importantly, prolonged administration of bisphosphonates (for at least 1 year) reduces the frequency of morbid skeletal events by 30-40% in breast cancer metastatic to bone and in up to 50% in patients with multiple myeloma. Newer bisphosphonates, such as ibandronate and zoledronate, will simplify the current therapeutic schemes and improve the cost-effectiveness ratio, and they have the potential to improve the therapeutic efficacy, at least in patients with aggressive osteolytic disease or in the adjuvant setting.