[Use of zoledronic acid for lung cancer with bone metastases - a study on reossification of osteolytic bone metastases].

Lung cancer often induces osteolytic bone metastases, and skeletal-related events(SRE)such as bone pain or fracture decrease the quality of life and survival of the patient. Zoledronic acid(ZDA)suppresses osteoclastic changes and reduces the risk of SRE. Over the last 6 years, 84 lung cancer patients who had osteolytic bone metastases were medicated with ZDA in our hospital. Effective reossification was observed in 25%of them, and they obtained longer survival term and better performance status than did patients without effective reossification. ZDA enabled enforcement of aggressive anticancer therapy(radiation± chemotherapy)by reduction of SRE following reossification of osteolytic bone metastases, and contributed to better prognoses for lung cancer patients.