Bisphosphonates in lung cancer: can they provide benefits beyond prevention of skeletal morbidity?

Bisphosphonates are the current standard of care for patients with bone metastases from advanced solid tumors. Zoledronic acid has demonstrated the broadest activity in this setting, and is approved for the prevention of skeletal-related events from bone metastases from a variety of solid tumors in addition to breast cancer and multiple myeloma. Ongoing studies are evaluating the antiresorptive potentials of investigational agents in these settings. A large body of preclinical evidence and recent clinical developments support the hypothesis that zoledronic acid can exert clinically meaningful anticancer activities in some settings, thereby improving disease outcomes and survival. These data are especially strong in breast cancer and multiple myeloma, and are emerging in other cancer settings. This review article will discuss the emerging data suggesting an anticancer role for bisphosphonates in the context of lung cancer and solid tumors other than breast and genitourinary malignancies.