Bisphosphonates in early breast cancer

摘要

In breast cancer treatment, our main focus has remained steadfast on structural, molecular, or functional features of the tumour itself. Clinical and experimental evidence, however, indicates that the complex cycle of tumour formation, growth, and dissemination is an interaction between the cancer cell and the diseased host. In The Lancet Oncology, Alexander Paterson and colleagues report final results of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project's protocol B-34 study. In this phase 3 randomised clinical trial undertaken in women with early breast cancer, the investigators targeted the bone microenvironment rather than the tumour with the oral bisphosphonate clodronate.