Bone Drug May Fight Breast Cancer

A drug used to combat bone loss may also fight breast cancer, a new study finds. The study included 1,803 women with early-stage breast cancer. All had surgery. They also took medicines to reduce estrogen in their bodies and keep the cancers from using estrogen to grow. Half of the women also received zoledronic acid. This drug is used to treat bone loss caused by cancer treatment or osteoporosis. Within four years, the cancer came back or spread in 54 women who received the extra drug and 83 who did not. That’s a 36% lower risk with zoledronic acid. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The New York Times wrote about it February 12.