Table 1 Effects of bisphosphonate treatment on skeletal morbidity: results of randomised trials
Agent and route | n | Results (no bisphosphonate versus bisphosphonate treated) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
Pamidronate, 600 mg orally daily | 161 | Reduced SMR, 94 vs 52 events/100 women years (P < 0.01) 600 mg poorly tolerated; no benefit with reduced dose (300 mg) | van Holten-Verzantvoort et al. [24] |
Clodronate, 1600 mg orally daily | 173 | Reduced SMR, 305 vs 219 events/100 woman years (P < 0.001) | Paterson et al. [25] |
Pamidronate, 45 mg intravenously | 295 | Increased time to bone progression, 168 vs 249 days (P = 0.02) | Conte et al. [14] |
3 weekly | Â | Â | Â |
Pamidronate, 90 mg intravenously | 382 | Reduced proportion experiencing SRE, 65 vs 46% (P < 0.001) | Hortobagyi et al. [2] |
3–4 weekly |  | Delay in first SRE, 7.0 vs 13.1 months (P = 0.0005) |  |
Pamidronate, 60 mg intravenously monthly | 401 | Increased median time to skeletal progression, 9 vs 14 months (P < 0.01) | Hultborn et al. [15] |
Pamidronate, 90 mg intravenously | 374 | Reduced proportion experiencing SRE, 67 vs 56% (P = 0.027) | Theriault et al. [1] |
3–4 weekly |  | Delay in first SRE, 6.9 vs 10.4 months (P = 0.049) |  |
Ibandronate, 2/6 mg intravenously | 467 | Reduced SMR with 6 mg dose; 2 mg ineffective | Body et al. [9] |
3–4 weekly |  | SMR, 2.18 vs 1.61 events/100 women years (P = 0.03) |  |