ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of bone metastases in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients contributes substantially to the burden of the disease by resulting in significant skeletal morbidity. Ibandronate is a new generation of bisphosphonates (BPs) with demonstrated clinical benefit in breast and prostate cancer patients with bone metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 32 patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC and bone metastases, 4 mg of ibandronate were administered, as a rapid 20-minute intravenous infusion every 3-4 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 189 infusions were administered over a 24-month period, during which a statistically significant decrease in calcium serum levels (p=0.03) was observed. The serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were also decreased, but not significantly. With regard to clinical efficacy, 24 of our patients stabilized or reduced their need for analgesic treatment. The reduced time of infusion (20 min vs. 2 h) did not correlate with any side-effects, including vital sign deterioration and renal dysfunction. CONCLUSION: The rapid infusion of ibandronate in lung cancer patients with bone metastases is a safe and convenient procedure that may be administered in a day-clinic setting.
Subject(s)
Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy , Bone Neoplasms/secondary , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/secondary , Diphosphonates/administration & dosage , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Aged , Bone Density Conservation Agents/administration & dosage , Bone Density Conservation Agents/adverse effects , Diphosphonates/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Ibandronic Acid , Infusions, Intravenous , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
With the significant increase in the average life-span in the industrial world, skin cancer has become a great health concern. There are various epidemiological, biological and molecular data suggesting that skin cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly, since approximately 53% of skin cancer-related deaths occur in persons more than 65 years old. With regard to the management of elderly patients with skin cancer, this should be individualized depending upon the clinical performance status, and age alone should not constitute an obstruction for the administration of the optimal treatment. Since elderly patients with melanoma have a worse prognosis, emphasis should be given to primary and secondary prevention. Physicians treating elderly patients should be trained in an individualized approach to these patients and encouraged to participate in programs for the early detection of suspicious skin lesions.
