Couldn't be more timely - Zometa news

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/health/research/12bone.html?_r=2

"Zometa May Help Prevent Bone Metastases"

Given that I didn't exactly enjoy my last (first, actually) infusion, it lifts my spirits to think that I really have done something positive in my treatment, and that the science continues to back that.

And the surprising result of his study, if it holds up, indicates that zoledronic acid could add a benefit to existing breast cancer therapy that is nearly the same magnitude as the benefit conferred by chemotherapy or hormonal therapy alone.

But Dr. Gnant urges caution.

“While everyone is very excited, we still need to be conservative about what we recommend to patients,” he said. “In clinical science we do clinical trials. I am still hesitating to say, ‘Well, this is good for everyone.’ In the history of science we sometimes extrapolated and turned out to be absolutely wrong.”

“The right way to proceed,” Dr. Gnant said, “is to wait for data to come in from other studies.”

The problem with waiting, as a breast cancer patient, is that we don't have time to wait. I have osteopenia NOW; I may have osteoporosis (scheduling my DEXA scan soon to find out). What's more, I'm terrified of metastases. TERRIFED.

I've done a lot of treatment "off label" (taking a drug approved by the FDA for one patient group or disease, and using it for another). AIs are proven for post menopausal women....older than I am. Herceptin was approved for metastatic women only when I took it (and was since approved for node-positive non-metastatic women like myself). I can take this drug for it's bone building benefits, which I want and need, but I need to stay cancer free even more.