[The incidence and management of bone metastasis from breast cancer]

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2006 Aug;33(8):1054-7.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

Mammary cancer is one of the solid malignancies, which easily metastasizes to bone. The frequency of bone metastases of breast cancer has been reported to be 65-75% of all breast cancer patients, and, in autopsy example at Shikoku Cancer Center, metastasis was recognized to be 74.7%. There are many symptomatic signs of bone metastases, but hypercalcemia needs to be treated immediately. Hypercalcemia might be diagnosed precisely because a lethal symptom appears. For diagnosis, bone scintigram, simple X-rays, MRI, and CT scan were effective. Radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and hormonal treatments were useful to improve the symptoms from bone metastasis; in addition, bisphosphonates demonstrated a synergistic effect with chemoendocrine treatments. Bisphosphonates also reduced the incidence of symptom-related events in patients with bone metastasis.

MeSH terms

  • Bone Density Conservation Agents / administration & dosage
  • Bone Density Conservation Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Bone Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Bone Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging
  • Bone and Bones / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Diphosphonates / administration & dosage
  • Diphosphonates / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypercalcemia / drug therapy
  • Hypercalcemia / etiology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Pamidronate
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Radionuclide Imaging

Substances

  • Bone Density Conservation Agents
  • Diphosphonates
  • Pamidronate