Breast Cancer Treatment

Risedronate, better known by the brand name Actonel, is effective for maintaining or improving the bone strength of women who have had chemotherapy for breast cancer, researchers report. The Journal of Clinical Oncology explains that add-on chemotherapy has prolonged survival for women with breast cancer. However, chemotherapy brings on early menopause, which leads to the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis and to bone fractures.
Many of the women in the study were also taking a so-called aromatase inhibitor such as letrozole to reduce the odds of a cancer relapse, and this made a difference to bone density. For example, by the end of the 24-month study, women in the placebo group had a significant reduction in bone density of 4.8 percent at the spine and 2.8 percent at the hip if they were on an aromatase inhibitor. Those in the placebo group who were not taking an aromatase inhibitor maintained bone density at the spine, but had a significant 1.2 percent loss at the hip. For women given risedronate, spine bone density fell by 2.4 percent and remained stable at the hip if they were also taking an aromatase inhibitor. The greatest improvement was seen in women on risedronate who were not taking an aromatase inhibitor: spine bone density rose by 2.1 percent and there was a 2.2 percent increase at the hip. Risedronate "proved to be effective with or without the use of an aromatase inhibitor."
Source: Bone drug works for breast cancer survivors (Reuters Health)

A chemotherapy regimen targeting both p53 mutations and tumor vasculature "has complementary and potent antitumor activity and could define a new strategy for suppression of advanced breast cancers."
The investigational protocol consists of PRIMA-1, which reactivates p53 and causes tumor cell apoptosis, and 2aG4, a monoclonal antibody that disrupts tumor vasculature by binding with anionic phospholipids, causing the vessels to shut down.
The regimen "suppressed tumor growth additively, leading to complete arrest of tumor progression during treatment". "Some tumors were completely eradicated...and combination treatment led to synergistic loss of tumors." "The combination therapy has potent anti-tumor activities on both the Her2-positive tumor model and Her2-negative model."
Targeted therapy specifically targets tumors and has less toxicity to normal cells or organs. The conventional chemotherapy is less specific and more toxic.
Source: Investigational Drug Combination Plus Chemotherapy Promising in Breast Cancer Cell Lines (Reuters Health) (requires Medscape registration)