ASCO Updates Guidelines on Bone-Modifying Drugs in Breast Cancer

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has developed a new set of recommendations for using bone-modifying agents for patients with metastatic breast cancer amid growing therapeutic options and fresh concerns about serious skeletal-related events.

The ASCO panel said only patients with evidence of bone metastases should be treated with the therapy, and that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate greater efficacy of 1 bone-modifying agent over another.

The options are: denosumab 120 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks; intravenous pamidronate 90 mg over no fewer than 2 hours; or zoledronic acid 4 mg over no fewer than 15 minutes every 3 to 4 weeks. Serum creatinine should be monitored before each dose, and patients should receive dental care before and during therapy.