Bone metastases - can you teach an old drug new tricks? asks Datamonitor

Advanced cancers become largely incurable once they have spread, or metastasized to the bone. Patients affected with bone metastases require supportive therapy in addition to anticancer treatment to manage skeletal complications. But while the bisphosphonates currently used to treat bone metastases reduce the risk of skeletal complications such as bone pain and fractures, they offer no survival benefit in the majority of patients. However, bisphosphonates may effectively prevent bone metastases in early-stage cancer patients, which could potentially revolutionize the management of this advanced complication, according to a new report by independent market analyst company Datamonitor.

In 2008, an estimated 225,174 people in the seven major markets will be diagnosed with bone metastases from cancers of the breast, lung, prostate, thyroid and the main form (85%) of kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma.