Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026764 (multiple myeloma)
 36,148 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The majority of the patients with advanced prostate carcinoma have painful skeletal metastases, which are responsible for significant skeletal morbidity and disability. Most of these metastases are osteosclerotic, but it has been shown that the abnormal osteoblastic bone formation within metastases is preceded by osteoclastic activation, which appears to be associated with bone pain. This provides the rationale for using bisphosphonates, which are powerful and selective inhibitors of osteoclastic bone resorption. Several bisphosphonates have been shown to be clinically useful for the treatment of several conditions characterized by abnormal osteoclastic bone resorption, including Paget's disease, primary hyperparathyroidism, myelomatosis, and skeletal metastases. Its efficacy in relieving pain in patients with skeletal metastases due to prostate carcinoma has been confirmed in a few studies. The bisphosphonate clodronate was extensively investigated in the study unit. When infused intravenously i.v. (300 mg/day) relief of bone pain become appreciable within 3 days, sometimes preceded by a transient pain flare. These clinical results are very consistent and the residual pain usually is of extraosseous origin. Thus, with regard to pain of strictly bone origin, unresponsive patients are quite rare. Oral administration also is effective, but due to its limited intestinal absorption the effective dose is on the order of 1600-3200 mg/day. These doses usually are well tolerated, but they may be a problem for severely ill patients. Furthermore, the efficacy of treatment becomes apparent only after a few days. Thus, oral clodronate usually is adopted as a continuation of an i.v. course. The duration of the i.v. therapy should be individualized, but usually the more prolonged the treatment the longer the duration of the effect. For practical reasons, clodronate is infused daily for 5 days (Monday-Friday) and the treatment course is repeated at the time of any significant recurrence. The oral continuation prevents or delays the recurrence of bone pain in most patients, but in some patients this therapy has to be integrated occasionally with i.v. infusion. The duration of the effect for the same bioavailable dose is somewhat related to the degree of malignancy of the primary tumor. In an uncontrolled study, the author also evaluated the effectiveness of alendronate given either i.v. or orally. A single infusion of 5 mg alendronate i.v. produces roughly the symptomatic effect of 5 i.v. infusions of 300 mg clodronate. Alendronate, 40 mg orally/day, was effective in reducing bone pain in 11 of 12 patients with bone metastases due to prostate carcinoma but who were not confined to bed. In some patients with prostate carcinoma and a diffuse metastatic invasion of the skeleton, there is indirect biochemical and histologic evidence of osteomalacia. This can be aggravated by bisphosphonate administration because of the transient striking prevalence of osteoblastic activity over bone resorption, which also occasionally causes the appearance of symptomatic hypocalcemia. Therefore, the use of large oral supplements of calcium is recommended, particularly at the start of therapy. It is conceivable that these calcium supplements also may be able to improve the final clinical outcome of the bisphosphonate therapy. In conclusion, administration of large doses of bisphosphonates is one of the most cost-effective palliation treatments for patients with prostate carcinoma with bone metastases, both as first-line therapy and in the long term. With appropriate doses, a large proportion of patients can be maintained free of bone pain until death. Studies of the ability of lower doses to prevent skeletal morbidity in patients without metastases or with asymptomatic bone lesions are warranted.
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PMID:Bisphosphonates in prostate carcinoma. 936 35

Gallium nitrate was originally developed as an antineoplastic agent; however, further studies have revealed that this drug has extremely potent effects on turnover of bone, and that low doses can be used to reduce bone resorption. Like the bisphosphonates, gallium nitrate has been studied in both malignant and in nonmalignant conditions. The results of randomized double blind studies have suggested that this drug has superior clinical efficacy relative to etidronate, calcitonin, and pamidronate for the acute control of cancer-related hypercalcemia. In patients with Paget's disease, low doses of gallium nitrate reduce biochemical parameters of accelerated bone turnover, including urinary excretion of calcium, hydroxyproline, and urinary collagen cross-linked N-telopeptides. Preliminary studies showed similar effects in patients with bone involvement from a wide variety of tumor types. Based on this high degree of clinical potency revealed in clinical studies, two randomized Phase III studies have been initiated in patients with bone metastases from breast carcinoma and bone involvement due to multiple myeloma. Both studies employ cyclic therapy with low dose gallium nitrate (i.e., 40 mg administered as a subcutaneous injection once daily for 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks off treatment, recycled monthly). The endpoints of both studies are to document reductions in time to "morbid skeletal events," such as palliative skeletal radiotherapy, stabilizing orthopedic surgery, or pathologic fractures, as well as decreases in pain and analgesic requirements and improvements in mobility and other aspects of quality of life. These trials should provide definitive evidence of whether this agent is safe and effective as a treatment for bone metastases.
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PMID:Gallium nitrate for the treatment of bone metastases. 936 36

Pamidronate (APD) is a potent inhibitor of bone resorption that is useful in the management of patients with osteolytic bone metastases from breast cancer or multiple myeloma, tumour-induced hypercalcaemia or Paget's disease of bone. After intravenous administration, the drug is extensively taken up in bone, where it binds with hydroxyapatite crystals in the bone matrix. Matrix-bound pamidronate inhibits osteoclast activity by a variety of mechanisms, the most important of which appears to be prevention of the attachment of osteoclast precursor cells to bone. In patients with osteolytic bone metastases associated with either breast cancer or multiple myeloma, administration of pamidronate together with systemic antitumour therapy reduces and delays skeletal events, including pathological fracture, hypercalcaemia and the requirement for radiation treatment or surgery to bone. Pamidronate generally improves pain control. Quality-of-life and performance status scores in pamidronate recipients were generally as good as, or better than, those in patients who did not receive the drug. Overall survival does not appear to be affected by pamidronate therapy. Tumour-induced hypercalcaemia also responds well to pamidronate therapy: 70 to 100% of patients achieve normocalcaemia, generally 3 to 5 days after treatment. Response durations vary, but are commonly 3 weeks or longer, In comparative studies, pamidronate produced higher rates of normocalcaemia and longer normocalcaemic durations than other available osteoclast inhibitors, including intravenous etidronate, clodronate and plicamycin (mithramycin). In most patients with Paget's disease of bone, intravenous pamidronate reduces bone pain and produces biochemical response. Serum alkaline phosphatase levels generally fall 50 to 70% from baseline 3 to 4 months after pamidronate treatment. Biochemical response may be prolonged. Pamidronate is well tolerated by most patients. Transient febrile reactions, sometimes accompanied by myalgias and lymphopenia, occur commonly after the first infusion of pamidronate. Other reported adverse events include transient neutropenia, mild thrombophlebitis, asymptomatic hypocalcaemia and, rarely, ocular complications (uveitis and scleritis). Pamidronate should be considered for routine use together with systemic hormonal or cytotoxic therapy in patients with breast cancer or multiple myeloma and osteolytic metastases. At present, pamidronate is the drug of choice for first-line use in the management of patients with tumour-induced hypercalcaemia. It is an effective treatment for Paget's disease and is the treatment of choice where oral bisphosphonates are not an option.
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PMID:Pamidronate. A review of its use in the management of osteolytic bone metastases, tumour-induced hypercalcaemia and Paget's disease of bone. 950 93

Based upon recent research, bisphosphonates have now attained a ranking as the first alternative to oestrogen replacement therapy in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The efficacy of these drugs has been clearly documented in recent years, particularly as a result of extensive clinical trials with alendronate. The studies have also confirmed the favourable risk/benefit ratio. The specific affinity of bisphosphonates for bone tissue has been recognized for many years, and explains the diagnostic use of radio-labelled species in skeleton scintigraphy. Bisphosphonates deposited in bone tissue reverse the osteoporotic process by inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption. This mechanism also explains their role as the treatment of choice in patients with Paget's disease and cancer induced hypercalcaemia. In addition, the same drugs are useful adjuvants in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma or bone metastases to lessen the pain and risk of fracture. A possible role of bisphosphonates in the management of cancer patients without detectable bone metastases or patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been discussed, but further research is needed in these areas.
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PMID:[Diphosphonates--pharmacology and clinical use]. 953 31

Bisphosphonates are a new theraeutic option in the treatment of bone diseases. They inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption and are established in the treatment of osteoporosis, Paget's disease of bone and especially in tumor bone disease. The effects of pamidronate, clodronate and ibandronate in the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy and osteolytic bone disease have been extensively studied. These drugs represent the treatment of choice in hypercalcemia of malignancy. The regular application of bisphosphonates reduces skeletal-related events like pathologic fracture, bone pain or hypercalcemia of malignancy, especially in breast cancer and multiple myeloma. Of great interest are the ongoing studies concerning prophylactic application of bisphosphonates in tumors bearing a high risk for bone metastases, especially since the first results suggest a significant reduction in the development of bone metastases in breast cancer patients.
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PMID:[Biphosphonate therapy in the management of skeletal metastases]. 961 82

Since bone markers may reflect different aspects of bone disorders and cell function, and osteolytic and osteoblastic activities may be individually or concomitantly altered, determination of more than one marker type is generally appropriate. Also, the individual markers of a particular type do not necessarily show parallelism. For example, in osteomalacia from vitamin D deficiency, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase may be grossly elevated because of enhanced osteoblastic activity, whereas the vitamin D dependent osteocalcin may be decreased. With the exception of measurement of the bone enzymes, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, bone marker measurements require complex and expensive immunoassays. As a general rule, the simple enzyme measurements can precede other investigation in most bone disorder> Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase measurement alone is generally adequate for the investigation of osteomalacia, Paget's disease and hyperparathyroidism but should be combined with measurement of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase in suspected metastatic disease, and in multiple myeloma. Determination of both enzymes together may also be of value in the investigation of osteoporosis but in this disorder added benefit may be obtained by the addition of other bone markers, particularly urine deoxypyridinoline and possibly serum collagen telopeptide.
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PMID:Biochemical markers of bone turnover. 974 51

Tumor-induced osteolysis or lytic bone disease is mediated by osteoclast activation. Osteoclasts can be activated directly by products produced by tumors or indirectly through other nonmalignant cells. By reducing osteoclastic activity, bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption. Since these agents had demonstrated efficacy in treating other diseases associated with increased bone resorption, including cancer-related hypercalcemia and Paget's disease of bone, studies were initiated to explore the use of bisphosphonates in patients with osteolytic bone metastases. Recent, large, randomized, double-blind studies have shown the efficacy of these agents in reducing skeletal complications in patients with bone metastases from both breast cancer and multiple myeloma.
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PMID:Use of bisphosphonates in patients with metastatic bone disease. 983 35

Metastatic bone disease is a frequent cause of morbidity in advanced cancer patients with a subsequent high incidence of skeletal complications (fractures, hypercalcemia, spinal cord compression) and severe pain. The osteolytic process is mainly characterized by an osteoclastic activity of bone resorption and inflammatory activity provoked by various cytokines and prostaglandins. Bisphosphonates represent a new class of drugs with inhibitory activity on bone resorption and on inflammatory processes which revealed themselves to be efficacious in a series of clinical conditions such as tumour-induced hypercalcemia, Paget's disease, osteoporosis and metastatic bone disease. The aim of this review of the literature is to show the analgesic efficacy of the different bisphosphonates in phase III studies carried out on patients with metastatic bone disease. Medline and Cancerlit database from January 1984 to February 1998 have been considered. From the analysis of the published studies it appears that bisphosphonates and, in particular, intravenous Disodium Pamidronate, are not only able to slow down the progression of the disease and to reduce the onset of skeletal complications but also have an analgesic effect and the possibility of improving the quality of life, above all in patients with osteolytic metastases due to breast cancer and multiple myeloma. Bisphosphonates represent a further valid therapy to add to an already consolidated list of therapies such as radio, chemo and endocrine therapy, analgesic drugs, orthopaedic and physiatric in the pain management of patients with bone metastases. These drugs meet with the patients' compliance, are well-tolerated as well as having a good cost/efficacy profile. It still remains to be seen if the newer and more potent bisphosphonates such as Ibandronate and Zoledronate can be administered differently from the intravenous route such as by mouth or by patch which are readily accepted by the patient and, moreover, if these more potent drugs are able to prevent or delay the onset and/or the progression of bone metastases.
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PMID:The role of bisphosphonates in the treatment of painful metastatic bone disease: a review of phase III trials. 987 May 69

Tumor-induced osteolysis or lytic bone disease is mediated by osteoclast activation. Osteoclasts can be activated directly by products produced by tumors or indirectly through other nonmalignant cells. By reducing osteoclastic activity, bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption. Since these agents were shown effective in treating other diseases associated with increased bone resorption, including cancer-related hypercalcemia and Paget's disease of bone, studies have been initiated to explore the use of bisphosphonates in patients with osteolytic bone metastases. Recent large randomized double-blind studies show the efficacy of these agents in reducing skeletal complications in patients with bone metastases from both breast cancer and multiple myeloma.
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PMID:Bisphosphonates in the treatment of malignant bone disease. 1007 75

Bone disease is a frequent manifestation of multiple myeloma, and results in considerable morbidity. In this review we summarise the current theories as to the mechanism of bony destruction in this disease and discuss the interrelationships between the malignant plasma cells and those cells responsible for bone remodelling, i.e. the osteoclasts and osteoblasts. The bisphosphonates are a long established group of drugs known to have inhibitory effects on osteoclast activity, and in common use for osteoporosis and Paget's disease. Their role in myeloma is less clear. Several clinical studies, including phase III randomised placebo controlled trials, have been reported in recent years. Although these have tended to show a benefit for bisphosphonate treatment, we have not yet identified the most appropriate use of these agents. Two of the clinical trials have suggested that bisphosphonates may also have a beneficial effect on the underlying disease, a tantalizing theory which has been supported with some early laboratory data.
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PMID:Bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma. 1019 85


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