By David Liu PHD

Tuesday July 31, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Zoledronic Acid is widely used an adjuvant chemotherapy to treat breast cancer although its clinical efficacy and safety remains unclear, according to Chinese researchers.

W.W. Huang of Fujian Provincial Cancer Hospital, the Teaching Hospital of Fujian Medical University in Fuzhou, China and colleagues systematically reviewed prior research and meta-analysed data from all relevant trials and found adverse effects substantial in breast cancer patients who received treatment with zoledronic acid.

The review was based on 175 studies which were located through Medline, EmBase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, reference lists of articles and proceedings of major meetings and the studies were reported by Dec. 1, 2011.  The meta-analysis was based on data from seven trials of zoledronic acid.

The researchers found breast cancer patients who received the adjuvant therapy with zoledronic acid were 15 percent more likely than those who did not to have a longer survival. The treatment seemed also help reduce the risk of recurrence in patients with early stage breast cancer and reduce risk for fracture.

However, this treatment increased the likelihood for recurrence in patients with advanced breast cancer.  And breast cancer patients who received the treatment experienced adverse effects including but not limited to bone pain, neutropenic fever, pyrexia, and rash.

One trial called Azure released on Sept 25, 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that adding zoledronic acid, a bisphosphonate to standard adjuvant therapy for women with stage II or III breast cancer did not extend disease-free survival.