Zoledronate in Treating Osteopenia or Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women Receiving Letrozole for Stage I, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Primary Breast Cancer
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00436917 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : February 19, 2007
Results First Posted : August 12, 2011
Last Update Posted : September 11, 2019
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
RATIONALE: Zoledronate may reduce bone loss in patients receiving letrozole for breast cancer.
PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well zoledronate works in treating osteopenia or osteoporosis in postmenopausal women receiving letrozole for stage I, stage II, or stage IIIA primary breast cancer.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Breast Cancer Osteoporosis | Drug: zoledronic acid Procedure: Letrozole as adjuvant therapy | Not Applicable |
OBJECTIVES:
Primary
- Assess changes in total lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline to 12 months in postmenopausal women treated with zoledronate for osteopenia or osteoporosis and letrozole for hormone receptor-positive, stage I-IIIA primary breast cancer.
Secondary
- Determine changes in total lumbar spine BMD from baseline to 2, 3, 4, and 5 years in these patients.
- Determine changes in femoral neck BMD from baseline to 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years in these patients.
- Determine time to disease progression in these patients.
OUTLINE: This is an open-label, multicenter study.
- Adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy: Patients receive oral letrozole daily for up to 5 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
- Osteoporosis management: Patients receive zoledronate IV over 15 minutes on day 1. Patients also receive oral elemental calcium twice daily and oral vitamin D daily for 6 months. Treatment repeats every 6 months for up to 5 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Patients undergo total lumbar spine and hip (femoral neck) bone density testing by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline and annually for 5 years.
After completion of study therapy, patients are followed at 4 weeks.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 60 patients will be accrued for this study.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 60 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Supportive Care |
Official Title: | Zoledronic Acid for Treatment of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis in Women With Primary Breast Cancer Undergoing Adjuvant Aromatase Inhibitor (Letrozole) Therapy |
Actual Study Start Date : | April 2006 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | June 2008 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | May 9, 2016 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: zoledronic acid
4 mg 15 minutes IV infusion. If creatinine clearance is ≤ 60, dosage should be adjusted as follows:CrCl 50-60: 3.5 mg; CrCl 40-49: 3.3 mg; CrCl 30-39: 3.0 mg.
|
Drug: zoledronic acid
zoledronic acid
Other Name: Zometa® Procedure: Letrozole as adjuvant therapy standard care
Other Name: Femara® |
- Average Intra-patient Change in Total Lumbar Spine (L1 to L4) Bone Mineral Density (BMD) [ Time Frame: Baseline and 1 year ]Change: BMD values at twelve months post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Total Lumbar Spine (L1 to L4) Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 2 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 2 year ]Change: BMD values at year 2 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Total Lumbar Spine (L1 to L4) Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 3 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 3 year ]Change: BMD values at year 3 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Total Lumbar Spine (L1 to L4) Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 4 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 4 year ]Change: BMD values at year 4 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Total Lumbar Spine (L1 to L4) Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 5 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 5 year ]Change: BMD values at year 5 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 1 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 1 year ]Change: BMD values at year 1 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 2 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 2 year ]Change: BMD values at year 2 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 3 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 3 year ]Change: BMD values at year 3 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 4 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 4 year ]Change: BMD values at year 4 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Average Intra-patient Change in Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at Year 5 Post Study Entry [ Time Frame: Baseline and 5 year ]Change: BMD values at year 5 post study entry minus BMD values at baseline, expressed as a percentage of the baseline value.
- Maximum-Grade Toxicity Incidence at Least Possibly Related to Study Medications [ Time Frame: 5 years ]Adverse events were assessed per NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 3.0. Grade 1=Mild, Grade 2=Moderate.
- Time to Disease Progression [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]Time to disease progression was defined as the time from date of randomization to the documentation of disease progression.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 120 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | Female |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
-
Diagnosis of localized breast cancer
- Stage I-IIIA disease
-
Adequately treated breast cancer
- No clinical or radiological evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease
- Baseline total lumbar spine or femoral neck bone mineral density T-score < -2.0 standard deviation (e.g., a patient with a T score of -2.1 is eligible)
-
Hormone-receptor status:
- Estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- Female
-
Postmenopausal, defined by 1 of the following criteria:
- Age > 55 years with cessation of menses
- Age ≤ 55 years with spontaneous cessation of menses for > 1 year
- Age ≤ 55 years with spontaneous cessation of menses for ≤ 1 year, but amenorrheic (e.g., spontaneous or secondary to hysterectomy), AND has postmenopausal estradiol levels
- Bilateral oophorectomy
- ECOG performance status 0-2
- Life expectancy ≥ 5 years
- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³ OR granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
- Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- AST ≤ 3 times ULN
- Creatinine < 2.0 mg/dL
- Creatinine clearance ≥ 45 mL/min
- No hypercalcemia (i.e., calcium level > 1 mg/dL above ULN) OR hypocalcemia (i.e., calcium level > 0.5 mg/dL below lower limit of normal) within the past 6 months
- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
-
No other nonmalignant systemic diseases, including any of the following:
- Uncontrolled infection
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
- Uncontrolled thyroid dysfunction
- Disease affecting bone metabolism (hyperparathyroidism, hypercortisolism, Paget's disease, osteogenesis imperfecta)
- Malabsorption syndrome
- No uncontrolled seizure disorders associated with falls
- No known hypersensitivity to zoledronate or other bisphosphonates, letrozole, calcium, or vitamin D
-
No concurrent active dental problems, including any of the following:
- Infection of the teeth or jawbone (maxillary or mandibular)
- Dental or fixture trauma
- Prior or current diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the jaw
- Exposed bone in the mouth
- Slow healing after dental procedures
-
No contraindication to spine dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as defined by any of the following:
- History of surgery at the lumbosacral spine, with or without implantable devices
- Scoliosis with a Cobb angle > 15 degrees at the lumbar spine
- Immobility, hyperostosis, or sclerotic changes at the lumbar spine, or evidence of sclerotic abdominal aorta sufficient to interfere with DXA scan
- Disease of the spine that would preclude the proper acquisition of a lumbar spine DXA
- No condition that would preclude study follow-up or compliance
- No psychiatric illness that would preclude giving informed consent
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- More than 3 weeks since prior and no other concurrent oral bisphosphonates
- No prior intravenous bisphosphonates
- No prior aromatase inhibitor therapy
- More than 6 months since prior anabolic steroids or growth hormone
- More than 2 weeks since prior and no concurrent inhibitor of osteoclastic bone resorption (e.g., calcitonin, mithramycin, or gallium nitrate)
- More than 30 days since prior systemic investigational drug and/or device
- More than 7 days since prior topical investigational drug
- More than 6 weeks since prior and no concurrent dental or jaw surgery (e.g., extraction, implants)
- Concurrent short-term corticosteroid therapy allowed
- No concurrent sodium fluoride, parathyroid hormone, or tibolone
- No other concurrent investigational drug or device

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00436917
United States, Florida | |
Mayo Clinic in Florida | |
Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32224 | |
United States, Minnesota | |
Mayo Clinic | |
Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905 |
Study Chair: | Stephanie Hines, MD | Mayo Clinic | |
Principal Investigator: | Charles L. Loprinzi, MD | Mayo Clinic |
Responsible Party: | Mayo Clinic |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00436917 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
MC05C8 P30CA015083 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) MC05C8 ( Other Identifier: Mayo Clinic Cancer Center ) 2330-05 ( Other Identifier: Mayo Clinic IRB ) |
First Posted: | February 19, 2007 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | August 12, 2011 |
Last Update Posted: | September 11, 2019 |
Last Verified: | April 2016 |
stage I breast cancer stage II breast cancer stage IIIA breast cancer osteoporosis |
Breast Neoplasms Osteoporosis Bone Diseases, Metabolic Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms Breast Diseases Skin Diseases Bone Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Metabolic Diseases Zoledronic Acid |
Letrozole Antineoplastic Agents Aromatase Inhibitors Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors Enzyme Inhibitors Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Estrogen Antagonists Hormone Antagonists Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Physiological Effects of Drugs Bone Density Conservation Agents |