Phase III randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of risedronate for the prevention of bone loss in premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy for primary breast cancer.

Purpose: Risedronate prevents bone loss in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to determine whether risedronate prevents bone loss in premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer were treated with oral calcium 600 mg and vitamin D 400 U daily and randomly assigned to receive oral risedronate 35 mg weekly or placebo, with all these therapies beginning within a month of the start of chemotherapy.