Extended use of intravenous bisphosphonate therapy for the prevention of skeletal complications in patients with cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of skeletal complications in patients with multiple myeloma, and metastatic breast, prostate, or lung cancers, when therapy with intravenous bisphosphonates is continued for longer than 21 months.

Methods: The primary outcome was the diagnosis of at least one skeletal-related event (SRE) after 21 months of therapy. The secondary outcome was the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ).

Are all 5-HT3 receptor antagonists the same?

The 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists have become the cornerstone for preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Four 5-HT3 antagonists are commercially available in the United States, and numerous reports have been published comparing 2 or more agents. The studies ranged from randomized, double-blinded to open-label or retrospective trials; included chemotherapy-naïve and -non-naïve patients; and covered a range of doses and routes of administration with and without concomitant steroids, for preventing and treating nausea and vomiting after highly and moderately high emetogenic chemotherapy.