Pamidronate disodum versus calsitonin : a comparative study in the management of malinant bone pain in metstic breast cabncer patients

Abstract EN

This prospective study was conducted on 60 female patients, complaining of painful bone metastases from breast cancer.

The patients were randomly allocated to one of three groups according to the drug received, pamidro-nate group received 60 mg / 2 weeks for three months, cal-citonin group received 100 IU S.C.

/ day daily for 14 days and then day after day for the rest of the study, and combination group received combination of the two regimens.

Patients were evaluated for vital signs, Visual Analogue Scale V.A.S., and biochemical parameters: serum calcium, serum bone alkaline phosphatase, urinary calcium, urinary creatinine and urinary hydroxyproline.

Significant decrease in bone pain scoring was found in pamidronate and combination groups.

Calcitonin was found to be more hy-pocalcaemic with rapid action.

Combining the two drugs makes benefit from the rapid onset of calcitonin and the delayed but long acting action of pamidronate in dealing with hypercalcaemia of malignancy.

Minimal side effects, as nausea and vomiting, post infusion pyrexia, bone pain etc., had been found in the three groups.