| The recent announcement by Elizabeth Edwards, the | | | | strengthen bone, are not very effective at controlling |
| wife of Democratic presidential candidate John | | | | pain. External beam radiation, while effective, can only |
| Edwards, that her breast cancer has recurred and | | | | target a few painful lesions at a time. |
| spread to her bones, is not something that any | | | | Another class of drugs used to treat cancer-related |
| cancer survivor or caregiver ever wants to hear. | | | | bone pain is radiopharmaceuticals. |
| Fortunately, Ms. Edwards and thousands of women | | | | Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs that combine a |
| fighting recurrent breast cancer now have a greater | | | | radionuclide (radiation) with a pharmaceutical. Studies |
| range of options to battle the disease and its many | | | | have shown that most patients with a positive bone |
| negative effects, especially pain. | | | | scan who are suffering from pain can experience |
| Pain affects most people with cancer as the disease | | | | relief lasting for months following a single injection |
| progresses. One of the most common causes of pain | | | | with a radiopharmaceutical. |
| in advanced cancer is bone metastases (cancer that | | | | In the past, radiopharmaceuticals for bone pain have |
| has spread to the bone). Bone metastases occur in | | | | been underutilized due to concerns over |
| an estimated 65-75 percent of patients with breast | | | | myelosuppression (a drop in a patient's white blood |
| or prostate cancer and in 70-95 percent of patients | | | | cell, red blood cell and/or platelet counts), and the |
| with multiple myeloma (cancer that begins in the | | | | belief that repeat doses of these treatments cannot |
| blood). As cancer progresses, bone pain caused by | | | | be given. |
| metastases often increases in intensity. | | | | According to new research, however, one of these |
| Fortunately, there are a number of treatment options | | | | agents, called Quadramet(r) (samarium SM 153 |
| available for bone pain. Potential treatments include | | | | lexidronam injection), may be more useful than |
| opioid analgesics, which are prescription narcotic pain | | | | previously thought. |
| medicines; a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, | | | | "Quadramet can provide very long-lasting pain relief |
| used to help strengthen bone and slow the | | | | for people with cancer suffering from bone pain," said |
| progression of bone metastases; and external beam | | | | Dr. Oliver Sartor, M.D. from Dana-Farber Cancer |
| radiation, where physicians target a beam of radiation | | | | Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, |
| directly at painful bone lesions. | | | | Massachusetts. "We've also found that multiple doses |
| All these options can be effective but have | | | | of Quadramet can be given over time, and pain relief |
| downsides, too. For example, increasing doses of | | | | with each treatment seems to be similar to what |
| opioid analgesics is usually necessary to control | | | | patients experience after their first dose," he added. |
| increasing pain. As doses increase, so do side effects | | | | With cancer patients now living longer than ever |
| like excessive sleepiness, nausea and breathing | | | | before, this is good news for those suffering from |
| difficulties. Bisphosphonates, while helping to | | | | bone pain, and their doctors. |